Saving Souls
by ThatBrownEyedIrishGirl
Summary: Nightmares are not considered unusual for a hunter, but when Serena Thompson is consistently plagued by frightening dreams, and becomes the victim of a string of random attacks, the Winchesters soon realize that their old friend is in serious danger, and Dean is not about to lose another loved one. Set after 2x01. Dean/Oc.
1. Chapter 1

**Supernatural**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Okay! So, this is my first fanfiction for Supernatural, a show that I am absolutely in love with. It's a Dean/Oc, and I really hope it isn't suckish, but that's for you guys to decide. I'm really nervous about uploading this.  
**

**It's not my only story, so updates will probably be spaced out (every few days, maybe) - that is, if you want me to continue it. So, review and let me know. **

**More importantly, enjoy.**

**Also, if you want to, check out my tumblr _ThatBrownEyedIrishGirl . tumblr. com_ (remove spaces). I post things about Supernatural, so check it out :)**

**Note: It's set right after episode one of Season 2, so it's set in 2006. **

* * *

Dean Winchester had never been good with expressing his emotions.

Since he was young, he handled his issues by lashing out at the people closest to him, immersing himself in cases, and pushed everything away until, eventually, it disappeared into the crevices of his mind.

And when things got really bad; he took a walk.

It didn't matter what time it was, where he was, or what he was prepared for, Dean would just get up and take a nice long walk. The air cleared his head, and relaxed him. Sometimes he took drives, but he preferred walking. Driving just reminded him of the endless hours he spent on the road, traveling from place to place, fighting creatures that no one else could even think of.

The reason for his walk tonight? His father.

It had only been a week since his father's death, and Dean could barely feel anything. It was like he went through his daily routine like a zombie, not really taking his surroundings into account, focusing instead on repairing the Impala.

He ignored Bobby and Sam, though Sam was a little more persistent in getting him to talk. Sam was so much better at the emotional, puppy dog, _I'm so broken _thing than Dean was. Sam could openly cry and not kick himself for allowing himself to be weak. Sam could talk about his father, and while he would most definitely cry, he wouldn't do what Dean did, and get so overwhelmed by emotions he couldn't even decipher that he felt as though he was suffocating.

No, Sam wouldn't do that.

Sam would talk his emotions out with Bobby, and Dean knew he could do the same if he wanted to. Bobby was a strong believer in tough love, but Dean knew he would always be there for him and Sam until the end of time.

Except Dean didn't want to talk. He didn't want to cry, he didn't want to face up to how he truly felt. So he took walks.

But sometimes, Dean got himself into trouble on these walks. He had a tendency to be reckless, not bringing weapons with him on late night ventures when everyone else was sleeping, or heading down a dark alleyway where anyone or any _thing _was laying in wait... which is what he ended up doing that night.

* * *

She watched him from her place on the roof of the apartment building.

Crouched down out of sight, her eyes followed his figure as he walked, head down and hands stuffed in his pocket.

She smiled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. Trust Dean Winchester to walk right into the middle of her case, and play the hapless victim. Unzipping the large duffel bag by her side, she rooted through her various weapons, through the guns, daggers and fighting knives to locate her axe, and zipped it back up again. Approaching the pole, she gripped the metal tightly and slid down it, her boots landing on the hard metal of the fire escape with a slight thud.

Quickly hurrying down the steps, she climbed down the last ladder and let herself drop to the ground, landing once again on her feet.

She slowly inched out from behind the wall, and watched her target appear, looking around herself suspiciously. The vampire's eyes looking in her direction, and she snapped back, pressing her back against the wall and holding her breath.

When she risked a glance out again, she saw the vampire duck down the alleyway after Dean.

And she made her move.

* * *

Dean was fully lost in his thoughts when he felt his shoulders get grabbed.

He was slammed into the wall painfully, and managed to duck the punch sent his way.

In true hunter fashion, Dean returned the blow, his fist connecting with the vampire's nose.

She growled, grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket again and threw him into a stack of crates, where he crashed to the ground painfully.

"Oh, you bitch..." He cursed through gritted teeth, wincing as he pulled himself up.

The vampire's fangs appeared, sparkling under the glow of the moonlight, and she lunged for him. Dean's leg shot out, kicking her back, giving him enough time to get up.

He frantically looked around himself for a weapon, becoming distracted in his search, and ultimately being slammed again into a wall. The vampire pulled him towards her again, and smashed his face sideways into a window, shattering the glass. Dean felt searing pain break out over his forehead, followed by the warm trickle of blood running down the side of his face, and onto his neck.

The vampire's lips twitched with hunger, and she bared her fangs, holding him in place and leaning down towards his neck.

Dean struggled, and it was only when her fangs grazed the skin of his neck when she was suddenly hauled roughly away from him.

The woman pushed the vampire back, setting her hands on her hips,"You know, there are much better ways in catching a guys' attention."

The vampire snarled at her, earning a raised eyebrow.

"You sound like my puppy. Okay, we can do this two ways; I can kick your ass and _then _kill you... or I could just kill you."

"It's not gonna be that easy." The vampire scoffed out the first words she had said all night.

"Let's find out." The woman smirked, and then quickly swung her body around, bringing her axe down hard.

The vampire's arms shot out, stopping the axe mid-air. She twisted it roughly, dislodging it from the woman's grip, and throwing it to one side. The woman continued to smirk.

"I like a good fight."

The vampire threw a punch, and the woman blocked it, thrusting the vampire's fist to one side, and rearing her elbow into her side. When the vampire's head fell forward as she gasped, the woman's elbow then connected with her face, sending her stumbling back.

Dean watched the impressive fight, his eyes slightly wide and his mouth ajar. He knew he didn't need to help the woman, that she had it all under control, so he stood clear.

The woman finally grabbed the vampire by a tuft of hair, crashing the vampire's head against the concrete wall before tossing her to one side, where she fell and rolled.

Dean couldn't stay still any longer, diving for the axe,"Hey!"

The woman turned and caught the axe, just as the vampire regained her footing and lunged. With one swing, the woman stood in between the body, and the decapitated head.

She grimaced,"Ooh, that's not pretty. Oh, is that blood on my jeans?!" She pouted,"Not cool."

Her eyes met Dean's and she broke out into a grin,"Nice job playing the damsel in distress there, Dean. Couldn't have done it better myself."

Dean suddenly smiled,"Serena..."

Serena Thompson smirked back, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

"Did you miss me?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"Ow!"

"Oh, don't be a baby." Serena rolled her eyes, dabbing away the dried blood around the gash. Dean simply pouted up at her.

Serena ignored the pout, instead choosing to set a square bandage over the gash, taping it down with clear tape to his skin,"There, all better."

"Thanks. I owe you."

Serena snorted,"Yeah, you do." She poked his chest lightly,"Had I not shown up, your ass would have been toast, Winchester."

Now it was Dean's turn to roll his eyes,"Don't get cocky, Thompson. You were... okay."

"Okay?! I kicked that bitch's ass while you stood there looking like a fish!" Serena imitated him, her jaw going slack and her eyes bugging out.

Dean chuckled,"Yeah, yeah." He then pulled her into a hug,"I missed you, Rena."

"Missed you, too. I didn't know what to do without the constant pain in my ass."

Dean held her at arm's length,"Hey, we were having a moment - don't ruin it."

Serena laughed,"Sorry."

"Where were you anyway? I was blowing up your phone like you owe me money."

"I've been on cases. There was one, and then another, and another. I only got home a few hours ago, and then I came here."

"You didn't have to..."

Serena raised an eyebrow,"Are you kidding me? Of course I have to be here, because I _want _to be here, and I always do what I want." She glanced around,"So where's Sammy and the Bob-meister?"

"Out."

"You didn't go with them?"

"Wanted to stay in." He shrugged.

"So that's why you ended up in an alleyway?" Serena sat on the table's edge,"Logic."

"Oh, hush. You want a beer?"

"Alcohol leads to bad decision making... so yes."

Dean popped the cap off the bottle and passed it to her, plucking a bottle from the fridge for himself.

Just as Serena took a swig, the door flew open.

She barely had time to react before Bobby Singer's face was in front of hers.

"There you are! Are you nuts? Going off on a case and not contacting anyone for _three weeks_?!"

Serena rolled her eyes,"Save it, Uncle Bobby. I got the same lecture from mom; not really up to hearing it twice. Look, I had a phone - I had two, actually - but one got crushed by a werewolf, and another didn't work."

"They're called payphones." Bobby reminded her, and she fixed her puppy-dog eyes on him, making him relent and give her a hug,"I'm just glad you're ass is okay."

"It always is." Serena slid off the table and moved passed him, reaching up on her tippy-toes to pull the twenty-three year old Winchester into a hug,"Hey, Sammy!"

Sam smiled,"Hey, Rena. What happened to Dean's face?"

"He attracted the undead."

Dean shrugged, taking a sip of his beer.

"It happens."

* * *

The next morning, dressed in a pair of jeans, a white tank top, and brown, shin-high boots, Serena flounced down Bobby's stairs and into the kitchen, finding Sam standing by the sink, staring out the window sadly.

She snuck up behind him, reaching out and squeezing his sides, making him jump. Serena grinned innocently up at him.

"What'cha doin', Sammy?"

"I'm worried about Dean. All he has done since Dad died is work on the Impala."

"It's how he copes." Serena shrugged,"What about you? How are you doing?"

Sam sighed, and sat down, waiting for her to sit across from him before he spoke.

"I just... I never realized how much I'd miss him, you know? After everything with Stanford, I believed I was fine not being around him, but then getting back into hunting, and spending all that time looking for him, only to find him and have him die?" Sam trailed off, shaking his head,"It's not fair."

Serena's eyes softened and she squeezed his hand,"No, it's not. I wish there was something I could do."

"It means a lot that you're here. I missed my little big sister."

Serena laughed,"And I missed my big little brother. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go check on Dean."

"Good luck. Don't forget to mention that thing I told you about last night."

"Right, that thing..." Serena nodded,"Tell me again why you can't tell him?"

"He won't talk to me."

"Point taken."

* * *

Serena tapped the hood of the Impala,"How's the car coming along?"

"Slowly."

"Need any help?"

Dean snorted,"Do you even know anything about cars?"

"Yes!" Serena exclaimed indignantly. She beamed,"They have wheels and go vroom vroom!"

"Yeah, I'll pass." She heard Dean chuckle.

Serena put her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels,"Okay. Need anything else?"

Dean suddenly slid out from underneath the car, hopping to his feet and giving her a look,"Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Stop asking if I need anything, stop asking if I'm okay. I'm okay. Really. I promise."

Serena's eyes softened,"Fine."

"Good."

"_But -_"

"Serena!"

"Just hear me out; I'm not gonna ask you to cry and watch Oprah, so you can relax. I'm just putting it out there, that if you _do _want to talk, I'm a good listener. So is Sam, so is Bobby."

"That's great, but I don't want to talk."

"That's too bad, 'cause Sam found something last night that he really wants me to tell you."

Dean raised an eyebrow, intrigued,"What?"

Serena pulled a phone from her pocket and held it out for him to see,"This is one of your dad's old phones. Took Sam a while, but he cracked his voice mail code. Listen to this."

Serena played the voice mail Sam had played for her the night before, and waited to gauge Dean's reaction.

_"John, it's Ellen." _The unfamiliar female voice stated,"_Again. Look, don't be stubborn, you know I can help you. Call me."_

Serena pursed her lips,"The message is four months old, Dean. Sam's trying to track this Ellen woman down."

Dean took the phone, grabbed Serena's wrist and pulled her back into the house with him, locating Sam in the study, typing away on his laptop. Once Sam's attention was captured, Dean held the phone up.

"Dad saved that chick's message for four months?

Sam nodded, standing up,"Yeah."

"Well, who's Ellen? Any mention of her in Dad's journal?"

"No." Sam sighed,"But I ran a trace on her phone number and I got an address."

"Ask Bobby if we can use one of his cars." Dean ordered him, in full business mode. Sam nodded and hurried off. Dean turned to face Serena.

"You comin' or what?"

She pursed her lips, her eyebrows raising as she watched him go.

"Sure, why not?"

* * *

**Yay! Thanks to everyone who followed/favorited. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I promise, things are about to get _much _more interesting.  
**

**~ EmBee ~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Serena had forgotten what it was like to be on the road with company. Usually, she was alone, enjoying the peace and going over whichever case she was on in her head.

But being with other hunters was something she enjoyed too, especially when it was her two closest friends. Having known the boys since she was eighteen, she was well used to their antics. The same antics she hadn't realized she had missed, such as the constant fighting over the radio, and the snarky comments they shot at each other.

Although, since she was back and hadn't seen them for a handful of months, she was the subject of their jokes.

"Who did you miss more?" Dean asked, glancing at her in the rear view mirror, a knowing smirk on his face,"It was me, right?"

"Uh, _no_." Sam shook his head,"She missed me the most."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh!"

"I missed you both equally." Serena replied with a grin.

Dean pursed his lips, looking at his brother sideways and nodding,"She missed me more."

"Not true!"

"Is that the place?" Serena asked, leaning forward to point at the roadhouse, distracting them.

"Yeah." Sam nodded,"Pull in here."

Dean complied, and they climbed out of the van, Dean grunting as he pushed the door closed, surveying the run down van Bobby had loaned them.

"This is humiliating. I feel like a friggin' soccer mom!"

Serena giggled, poking him in the stomach teasingly,"You look like one too."

"This is the only car Bobby had running." Sam shrugged, leading the way into the roadhouse. Serena remained behind, rooting through her duffel bag.

* * *

Inside, Sam looked around himself, inspecting the place. It was quiet inside, except for the slight buzzing of a bluebottle fly.

"Hello?" Sam called, shattering the silence,"Is anyone here?"

Dean approached a pool table, tilting his head at the man passed out on top of it,"I'm guessing that isn't Ellen."

Sam chuckled,"I doubt it."

Sam moved off into the back, and Dean reached over to check the man for a pulse. Just as his two fingers grazed the flesh of the man's neck, he felt something hard press into his back.

He frowned,"Oh, please let that be a rifle."

Dean heard the gun cock, followed by a female voice,"Nah, I'm just happy to see you. Don't move."

Dean chuckled humorlessly,"Not moving, copy that. You know, you should know something, miss. When you put a rifle on someone, you don't want to put it right against their back. Because it makes it real easy to do..."

Dean spun around and grabbed the rifle, only to receive a punch to the nose that made him double over in pain. The blonde girl snatched the gun back, prodding him with it to step into the center of the room.

"Sam! Need some help in here." Dean winced, cradling his nose with his hands,"I can't see. I can't even see."

Though there were spots in his vision that he had to consistently blink away, Dean spotted Sam moving silently out of the back, his hands behind his head, followed by a woman. This woman was brunette, middle-aged and around the same height as Serena. Suddenly reminded of his brunette, Dean glanced towards the door. Serena was still outside.

"Sorry, Dean..." Sam said hesitantly,"I can't right now. I'm a little tied up."

Dean gasped under his breath as another pang of pain shot through his face. He heard the sound of two guns cocking, and the four of them turned their heads to see Serena, holding two guns - one pointed at the blonde, the other at the brunette - with a stoic, serious expression on her face.

"I advise you two to drop the guns," She said,"We're not here to cause trouble."

Dean sent her a smirk,"'Bout time you got in on the fun."

Serena smirked back,"I like a dramatic entrance."

The brunette woman was still holding her gun up, but the blonde had quickly lowered hers already. The brunette looked between the three of them inquisitively.

"Wait, Sam and Dean? Winchester?"

The brothers replied in unison,"Yeah."

A grin flashed across the brunette's face,"Son of a bitch..." She chuckled, finally lowering her gun,"You're John Winchester's boys. Hey, I'm Ellen. This is my daughter, Jo."

Serena rolled her eyes, also lowering her weapons, and setting them on the counter. Sam relaxed, a small smile crossing his features while Dean turned back to look at Jo.

"You're not gonna hit me again, right?"

* * *

Ellen passed Serena ice wrapped up in a cloth, which the brunette then gently placed on Dean's face, swatting his hands away.

"Thanks." Dean said, his gratitude directed at both Ellen and Serena. His eyes turned to Ellen as Serena finally let him take over holding the ice to his injured face,"You called our dad, said you could help. Help with what?"

"Well, the demon, of course." Ellen replied easily,"I heard he was closing in on it."

"What, was there an article in the Demon Hunters Quarterly that I missed? I mean, who, who are you? How do you know about all this?"

"Hey, I just run a saloon. But hunters have been known to pass through now and again. Including your dad a long time ago. John was like family once."

Serena moved to stand behind Dean, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at Ellen's choice of words, and her remorseful tone that went unnoticed by the brothers.

"Oh yeah?" Dean challenged,"Then how come we've never heard of you before?"

"Well, you'd have to ask him that."

Serena's eyes widened, and she tried to get Ellen's attention to ward her off the topic of John Winchesters mortality.

Sam was the one to quickly change the topic as Dean fell silent. Serena noticed, and reached out subtly to pat his back in comfort.

"So, why exactly do we need your help?" Sam questioned.

"Hey, don't do me any favors. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if..."

Again, Serena tried to flag down her attention. Only this time, she received it. She swiped her hand in the air across her neck, in a motion that clearly said '_Stop talking. Now_'. Ellen frowned, and then slowly, Serena watched the realization flood her face.

"He didn't send you..."

Dean looked down at his lap again, and then over at his brother, who gulped thickly.

Ellen straightened up,"He's okay, isn't he?"

"No. No, he isn't." Sam answered quietly,"It was the demon, we think. It, um, it just got him before he got it, I guess."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Dean waved her off,"We're all right."

"Really? I know how close you and your dad were."

Dean stood up, walking passed her,"Really, lady, I'm fine."

Serena shared a look with Sam before following Dean out. Sam sighed heavily, and turned back to Ellen.

"So look, if you can help, we could use all the help we can get."

Ellen shook her head,"Well, _we _can't. But Ash will."

"Who's Ash?"

"Ash!" Jo called out loudly, startling the man passed out on the pool table, effectively waking him up. The man ran a hand through his mullet.

"What? It closin' time?" He mumbled tiredly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Sam raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"_That's _Ash?"

Jo smiled, nodding her head assuredly,"Mm-hmm. He's a genius."

* * *

Serena wordlessly sat down on the porch step beside him, pursing her lips.

"You wanna talk about it now?"

"Nope."

Serena tilted her head,"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Me? You're the one who won't leave me alone."

"Because I know you, Dean. You seem to forget that." Serena let her fingers crawl up his shoulder like a spider in order to poke the side of his head softly,"I know when something's going on in that pretty little head of yours, and you know it."

Dean glanced at her sideways,"If we have a chick flick moment, will you leave me alone?"

"Depends. What do you mean by chick flick moment?"

"I bare my soul to you, and then we slow dance."

"Aw, Dean - I don't slow dance. But the whole soul thing, well that's a solid _maybe_..."

Dean sighed,"Fine, it bothers me. My father is dead, and it's not fair, and it sucks, and I feel bad for Sammy, and... that's it. The world sucks."

Serena relented somewhat, knowing that was the best she was going to get out of him for now. Her eyes softened, and she took his hand, squeezing it gently,"Was that so hard?"

Dean rolled his eyes, slinging an arm around her shoulder,"You are so annoying."

Serena giggled and lay her head on his shoulder. They remained there for a minute or two before Serena stood up, tugging on his hand.

"What?" He frowned.

"We still have a case. Sam'll kill us if we miss out on the details. Besides, you know beating up demons gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling."

* * *

Just five minutes after Serena and Dean joined Sam at the bar counter, Ash joined them and Dean slapped the brown folder onto the surface before them. Sam slid it towards Ash.

Dean's dubious eyes surveyed the man in front of them, and he snorted.

"You've gotta be kidding me, this guy's no genius. He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie."

Ash chuckled appreciatively, wagging his finger at the oldest Winchester,"I like you."

Dean smirked,"Thanks."

"Just give him a chance," Serena swatted Dean's arm.

Dean rolled his green eyes and shrugged,"All right. This stuff's about a year's worth of our dad's work, so uh, let's see what you make of it."

Ash pulled out various pages and began rifling through them, taking in the information and processing it. He puffed out his cheeks,"Come on. This crap ain't real. There ain't nobody can track a demon like this."

"Our dad could." Sam shrugged.

"There are non-parametrics, statistical overviews, prospects and correlations, I mean.. damn! They're signs. Omens. Uh, if you can track 'em, you can track this demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms... You ever been struck by lightening? It ain't fun."

Serena raised an eyebrow,"Can you track it?"

"Yeah, with this, I think so. But it's gonna take time, uh, give me... fifty one hours." Ash mumbled, turning to walk away.

"Hey, man?" Dean grinned,"Dig the haircut."

Ash grinned, motioning to his hair,"Business in the front..." He flipped his hair over his shoulder,"Party in the back."

Serena laughed, and the two brothers chuckled as Ash disappeared into the back.

"Where did you find him?" Serena asked, sitting across from Jo.

"We've known him forever." Jo smiled, shaking her head,"I'm sure he was left in a basket somewhere."

"So, what's your deal?" Dean asked, taking the seat beside Serena,"How did your mom get into this stuff?"

"From my dad." Jo answered softly,"He was a hunter. He passed away."

"I'm sorry." Dean nodded.

"It was a long time ago. I was just a kid. Sorry to hear about your dad." Jo's eyes landed on Serena,"I didn't know John had a daughter."

"He didn't. I'm a friend."

"So, you're a hunter too?"

"Like I have any other choice..." Serena admitted, sharing a look with Dean. Sam cleared his throat by the bar, garnering Ellen's attention. He nodded towards another file, semi hidden behind the cash register.

"Hey, Ellen, what is that?

"It's a police scanner. We keep tabs on things, we -"

"No, no, no, no, the, um, the folder."

Ellen plucked it from its place, setting it in front of him,"Uh, I was gonna give this to a friend of mine. But take a look, if you want."

Sam flipped it open to the first page, where he spotted a newspaper article. Furrowing his brows, he turned in the direction of Dean and Serena.

"Hey, guys, look at this. In Medford, Wisconsin, there was a couple murdered. Their child was left alive, totally unharmed." Sam continued to flick through the file,"There were more murders. I think this might be a hunt."

Without waiting for their approval, Sam turned back to Ellen.

"Hey, we can check this out."

Ellen nodded.

"Have at it."

* * *

**So, that's it for chapter three. I hope you enjoyed it. I was going to make it longer, but duty called and life got in the way. Ugh, life...**

**Anyway, don't forget to review. :)**

**~ EmBee.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Slight violence in this chapter. I don't, personally, think it's too bad, but I'm just taking precaution here. Enjoy and don't forget to review! :)  
**

* * *

_She was dreaming, she knew that. But what Serena didn't understand was how she went from relaxing on a beach where the sand was warm and the water was way too blue, to standing in an old-fashioned house. _

_Her hazel-brown eyes scanned the area around her. Strange dreams she was used to, but there was a whole new sense of dread involved in this one. Usually they were just flashes of bright light, and the feeling of agony that remained in her bones even when she woke up. Serena's dreams were never this... vivid._

_Continuing her visual roaming of the hallway she stood in, she located a calendar hanging on the wall - January 6th, 1793._

_Serena's eyes widened when she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Venturing towards the sound, she located a small study passed the staircase. Inside, a man was sat at his desk, writing a letter and glancing anxiously at the time. Serena looked at the clock too; five to midnight._

_Serena pursed her lips, tilting her head to one side and narrowing her eyes. Decision made, she stepped forward._

_"Hello?"_

_Silence._

_At least he couldn't see her - she was just a visitor. Serena moved to stand behind him, peeking over his shoulder at what he was writing, but only managed to read a section._

_**'It is through no consent of my own that I am forced to write this, but through the selfish acts of my father, for he alone marked my doom, years before I was born...'**_

_Serena frowned - what did that mean? Her eyes rose to the top of the page where the man had begun with his name; Jeremiah Thompson._

_When the clock struck midnight, sending a chorus of loud sounds through the house, both she and Jeremiah jumped out of fright._

_He moved his chair back, and out of instinct, Serena slid out of the way in time to avoid a chair to the stomach. Jeremiah removed his glasses, swallowing thickly._

_"Oh, dear God, no..."_

_"Actually, yes." A smug voice floated in from the doorway. The evil rolled off him in waves, sending a sharp shiver up her spine, and his white eyes were somehow worse than the familiar black of a demon's._

_"Ah, the time has come again." The figure sighed dreamily, running his fingertip along the mantlepiece,"I really do enjoy these trips, you know..."_

_"Please," Jeremiah pleaded,"You don't have to do this."_

_"No, I don't - but I want to. I was offered this in return for a favor, as you remember."_

_"My father. He was desperate -"_

_"He was selfish." The creature barked,"And now, you have to pay the price, so if you don't mind..."_

_Suddenly, the malevolent figure was standing in front of Jeremiah, and his hand shot out, plunging into Jeremiah's chest._

_The scream was lodged in Serena's throat as she watched the scene unfold helplessly. Every part of her was itching to help in some way, but her boots were planted to the hardwood floor. Jeremiah was struggling to breath, and Serena realized with horror that he was choking on his own blood._

_Smirking, the demon tilted his head, and continued his nonchalant taunting._

_"... I need to borrow your soul."_

* * *

It was early the next morning when they arrived in Wisconsin. After debating the case all night, they figured that their creature of the week was probably traveling with the same carnival the victims had visited the night they died. Perhaps he was attached to some cursed object or something along those lines.

It was the minivan jolting that woke Serena up the next morning, and she noticed that Dean was pulling into the carnival parking lot. She grumbled softly under her breath, stretching out her tense legs as best she could with the space provided by the backseat. She yawned then, hiding it behind her palm. Dean glanced back at her.

"Morning, princess."

Serena reached up to massage her stiff neck,"How long have I been out?"

"A couple hours. Sam's been out a little longer." Dean nodded at his still slumbering brother.

"Why didn't you wake me?" She asked, leaning forward to look at him properly,"I could have taken over so you got some sleep."

"Don't need it." Dean shrugged, slapping Sam's shoulder to stir him,"I got my four hours before we set out for Ellen's."

Serena sighed, watching him exit the car. The effects of the dream were still reverberating in her entire being, and she shook her head to rid her mind of the grizzly images. Following Dean and a groggy Sam out of the car, she used the opportunity to stretch the rest of her muscles, emitting a soft moan that made Dean smirk.

Rolling her eyes, she slugged his arm, knowing exactly what kind of suggestive thoughts were rattling around in his brain. When Sam had woken himself up a bit, they headed towards the carnival.

Dean spotted two detectives interviewing a carnie, and nodded,"Hey, check it; Five-0."

Up ahead of them, Sam was standing awkwardly with his hands in his coat pocket as a significantly small statured woman passed by, keeping a hold of his gaze as she did so. Dean chuckled, quickening his pace to land beside his brother and nudge him with his elbow.

"You wanna get her number?"

Sam scowled at him, and then caught sight of Serena walking towards the officers. She was holding her phone out in front of her, and stood a few feet away from them.

"What's she doing?"

"Who knows?" Dean asked, watching her,"We'll find out eventually."

Serena tapped away on the keyboard of her phone, typing in random letters with her face scrunched up in fake concentration.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about the murders that took place last night?" One of the investigators asked the carnival worker.

"No. There was another one?" The worker sighed, running a hand over his face.

The other investigator took a picture from his pocket,"Did you happen to see this couple here last night? They were with a young boy."

"I could have. I don't know, this place is pretty popular. Oh, God, is the boy -?"

"The boy is fine. He was unharmed, but he did mention seeing a clown."

"It's a carnival." The man shrugged,"There are plenty of clowns."

"Right. If you remember anything," The first officer handed him a card,"Please, give us a call."

"I will."

"Alright. Thank you for your time."

Serena turned away slightly as they passed, cursing softly under her breath as she waved her phone a bit.

"Are you okay, miss?"

She flashed the officer who had stopped a dazzling, flirtatious grin,"Just having some phone problems. It's nothing to worry about."

The officer grinned back, not-so-subtly checking her out,"If you're sure..."

"I am." Serena smiled,"Oh, I got a bar. It's fine now."

She flounced off passed him, giving him another grin before meeting back up with the boys.

"There were two more murders last night," She announced, stopping beside Dean,"Little boy was left unharmed. Parents, on the other hand..."

"Did you just eavesdrop on Five-O?" Dean asked,"And then flirt with one?

"Honey, _please,_ if you thought that was flirting..." Serena snorted,"Besides, being a girl has its advantages. I'm just cashing in on what my mama gave me." She shrugged innocently.

Sam tried not to chuckle,"Did you hear anything else?"

"The kid mentioned a clown."

"Yeah, a clown who apparently vanished into thin air..." Dean sighed.

"Dean, you know, looking for a cursed object is like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles." Sam pointed out,"They could be anything."

"Well, it's bound to give off EMF, so we'll just have to scan everything." Dean shrugged,"Besides, we've got Serena - our very own supernatural sensor."

"Which is great, but EMF?" Sam raised a dubious eyebrow,"It's gonna look suspicious if we go waving those around."

Serena pursed her lips and took a step towards Sam, nudging him out of the way slightly to tap a sign and gain their attention to the words displayed in bright red letters.

_Help Wanted._

She shrugged, tossing a smile their way.

"Guess we'll just have to blend in."

* * *

After a run-in with a very defensive knife-throwing blind man, and his equally defensive short statured friend, Dean, Sam and Serena found themselves in the office of one Mr. Cooper.

The round, slightly red in the face man beamed at the three of them,"You three picked a hell of a time to join up. Take a seat."

Serena easily took a seat, smirking as Dean beat Sam to the only remaining, normal chair, leaving Sam to sit in the pink one that was complete with a giant clown face. Sam scowled over at his older brother, who grinned back.

"We've got all kinds of local trouble." Mr. Cooper continued obliviously.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked inquisitively, though her tone was polite.

"Oh, a couple of folks got themselves murdered. Cops always seem to start here first. So, you kids ever worked the circuit before?"

"Yes sir, last year through Texas and Arkansas." Sam answered instantly.

Dean shared a look with Serena before nodding at Mr. Cooper,"Yep."

"Doing what? Ride jockies? Butcher? ANS men?"

"Yeah, it's, uh, little bit of everything, I guess." Serena flashed him another grin.

"You three have never worked a show in your lives before, have you?"

"Nope." Dean answered honestly,"But we really need the work. Oh, and uh, Sam here's got a thing for the bearded lady."

Mr. Cooper turned around just as Sam reached out and smacked Dean's arm. Dean poked his tongue out at him.

"You see that picture?" Mr. Cooper asked, pulling them back to the conversation at hand,"That's my daddy."

Serena arched an eyebrow, squinting at the photo in astonishment,"You look _just_ like him."

"He was in the business." Mr. Cooper nodded,"Ran a freak show. Till they outlawed them, most places. _Apparently_ displaying the deformed isn't dignified. So most of the performers went from honest work to rotting in hospitals and asylums. That's progress. I guess. You see, this place, it's a refuge for outcasts. Always has been. For folks that don't fit in nowhere else. But you two? You should go to school. Find a couple of girls. Have two point five kids. Live regular."

Dean opened his mouth to say something, only for Sam to interrupt him, leaning forward in his seat to drive his words home.

"Sir? We don't want to go to school. And we don't want regular. We want this."

* * *

They walked out of there with a job each. Serena already had a job, however, working as an advice columnist for a local newspaper in her hometown. She worked from home - or in her case, from the road, and it had been her career for the past three and a half years. Working as a carnival worker was slightly out of her comfort zone.

As a child, Serena hadn't liked carnivals much. Between the noise, the crowd and the over enthusiastic clowns and entertainers, she had always stuck close to her mother or father's side, having already grown uncomfortable the second she exited the car. As an adult, she still remained somewhat apprehensive. Added to that was the eery feeling of being watched, a feeling which she figured was just left over from her nightmare.

"Huh..."

Dean's sudden noise drew her attention back to the present, and she blinked as Sam glanced at him sideways.

"What?"

Dean shrugged,"That whole, uh, I don't want to go back to school thing. Were you just saying that to Cooper or were you, you know, saying it? Sam?"

The tall young man pursed his lips in thought,"I don't know."

"You don't know? I thought that once the demon was dead and the fat lady sings that you were gonna take off, head back to Wussy State."

"I'm having second thoughts." Sam admitted, making Dean stop dead in his tracks.

"Really?"

Sam nodded,"Yeah. I think... I think Dad would have wanted me to stick with the job."

Narrowing his eyes, Dean scoffed quietly,"Since when do you give a damn what Dad wanted? You spent half your life doing exactly what he didn't want, Sam."

"Since he died, okay?" Sam replied, growing frustrated,"Do you have a problem with that?"

Dean absentmindedly looked at Serena who had shuffled towards him to get his attention. She gave him a look that clearly said _Don't do this - not here_.

Dean clenched his jaw,"Naw, I don't have a problem at all."

Sam held his brother's gaze before sighing,"Good. How about Serena and I check out the funhouse while you go lookout for clowns?"

A smirk graced Dean's lips,"Scared-y cat."

Sam seemed to relax at his brother's teasing and he rolled his eyes.

"Shut up."

* * *

"Can I just point out - there is _nothing _fun about a funhouse. All there is, is a sense of claustrophobia and a false representation of the word 'fun'..."

Sam chuckled, waving the EMF in front of a pop up statue of some sort of creature,"You're grumpy."

Serena rolled her eyes,"Had a bad dream. Besides, you know I'm right."

Sam nodded,"I certainly don't understand the appeal. EMF isn't picking up on anything. What about you?"

Serena didn't have an EMF meter. She didn't need one. For when she was just eighteen, she had been in a car accident, which left her caught between life and death in a limbo of sorts. When she had woken up, it hadn't taken her long to realize something wasn't right. Serena had suddenly become aware of the supernatural, being able to sense when a creature was near. In a sense, Serena was her own EMF meter.

When her mother realized her daughter was in danger because of her new senses, Evelynn Singer had sent her daughter to her half-brother's house for the summer, where Serena met the boys and subsequently became a hunter.

"Nothing. But there is something funky about this place."

Without warning, Serena ducked around the corner, leaving Sam to hurriedly grab their things and follow after her. Serena closed her eyes, standing in the empty corridor. Around her, she could hear the distant, evil laughter of some prop, and the shrieks of teenagers. But when she focused, pushing passed those sounds until she could feel the things around her, she felt a cold stirring in her chest. Her eyes snapped open, to land on a skeleton that was rigged to fall from the ceiling.

Stepping closer to it, Serena felt the feeling leave her and grunted in frustration. Sam frowned.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. Something was here just a second ago."

"You think it has something to do with the skeleton."

"I'm not sure." Serena replied,"Call Dean, ask if he has any news."

Sam nodded, and took out his phone.

* * *

Dean remained inconspicuous as he cleared the ground of absentmindedly dropped trash, his EMF meter hidden away inside his uniform jacket. His cell phone buzzed in his pocket and he slid it from his jean pocket, pressing it against his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, man." Sam answered.

"What's the matter? You sound like you just saw a clown."

"Very funny." Sam remarked dryly,"Skeleton, actually."

"Like a real human skeleton?"

"In the funhouse. Serena picked up on something, but she's not sure if it was actually from the skeleton. Listen, we were thinking. What if the spirit isn't attached to a cursed object, what if it's attached to its own remains?"

"Did the bones give off EMF?"

"Well, no, but..."

"We should check it out anyway. I'm heading to you guys."

Dean hung up, turning in the direction of the funhouse. Just as he began to move towards it, he felt his arm get grabbed roughty. The blind man from before kept his grip on Dean's arm.

"What are you doing here, kid?"

"I'm... I was just sweeping."

"Bull." The blind man accused,"And what were you talking about? Skeletons? What's EMF?"

"Dude, your blind man hearing is out of control."

"We're a tight-knit group, we don't like outsiders, we take care of our own problems." The blind man continued, ignoring Dean's witty comment.

Dean arched an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes,"We got a problem?"

"You tell me, you're the one talking about human bones."

Dean's eyebrows creased in consideration before he asked in a low voice,"Do you believe in ghosts?"

"What?"

"My brother, my friend and me..." Dean began,"We're writing a book about them."

* * *

"What took you so long?" Serena questioned when Dean arrived. The sun was beginning to set, and she and Sam were leaning against the wall of the funhouse. Dean rolled his eyes, waving her question off.

"Long story."

Sam was about to say something when a little girl's joyous exclamation caught their attention.

"Mommy, look at the clown!"

Serena glanced that way, and froze. Squinting, she too could make out a figure, though it wasn't much more than an outline and blurry features. She was too far away.

"What clown?" The girl's mother asked, as Serena pushed passed Sam and Dean to get a closer look. Finally, the clown came into view.

Clad in a faded yellow, baggy suit complete with multi-colored pom-poms, his makeup conveyed him to be a sad clown, though there was something sinister about him as he waved at the little girl.

"Serena, what is it?" She felt Dean's hand on her shoulder and turned to look at him.

"I see the clown. He's right over..." She trailed off, realizing he had vanished,"... there."

The little girl's mother took her hand, gently tugging her along.

"Come on, sweetie, come on."

Serena frantically hurried to follow after the family, keeping distance but keeping them in her line of sight all the same.

Serena ushered Sam and Dean along quickly.

"Come on, he's chosen his next victims."

The brothers shared a look, before briskly trailing after her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Author's Note at the end. :)**

* * *

"Dean, I cannot believe you told Papazian about the homicidal phantom clown."

Serena lowered the binoculars she held tightly in her hands, ignoring the anxious twist in her stomach. Their target was here, she just couldn't tell where.

"I told him an urban legend about a homicidal phantom clown, I never said it was real." Dean corrected him, cocking his gun. Serena reached over from the passenger side and set her hand on top of the weapon, pushing it down.

"Keep that down!" She admonished, returning to her task of staring out the window.

Dean moved his shoulders, giving her an apologetic look before glancing back at Sam,"Oh, and get this. I mentioned the Bunker Brother's Circus in '81 and their, uh, evil clown apocalypse? Guess what..."

Serena and Sam shared a look, and spoke in unison,"What?"

"Before Mr. Cooper owned Cooper Carnival, he worked for Bunker Brothers. He was their lot manager."

Serena once again lowered the binoculars, intrigued,"So, what? Is the clown attached to something Cooper owns, or Cooper himself?"

"I don't know," Dean replied,"It has to be something like that..." He shook his head, his eyes rolling towards the cieling of the car,"I can't believe we keep talkin' about clowns."

Serena let out a little laugh, and then immediately tensed, her eyes searching the area outside the car for the danger she sensed.

"Alright, ladies," She opened the car door, sending them a smirk,"Let's move."

* * *

Breaking in through the back, Serena split from the boys and headed upstairs as quietly as she could. Sam and Dean remained downstairs, and just as she stepped onto the landing, a bedroom door opened.

As quick as lightening, Serena threw open the door of the closet and flung herself inside, peering out through the crack in the door. The little girl from earlier rubbed her tired eyes, but there was an air of excitement around her as she hurriedly padded down the stairs. Serena slipped out from the hiding place, pressing herself against the wall so she could look down, and into the hallway.

She caught sight of Dean hiding behind the kitchen wall, and saw his look of confusion. She followed his line of sight, and watched as the little girl invited the clown inside, extending her hand to lead him inside.

Dean's eyes raised and locked with hers, and she nodded, slipping back into the closet again.

"Wanna see Mommy and Daddy? They're upstairs." Serena heard the little girl say, and leapt out, just as Sam ran up the steps and picked the little girl up, moving her out of the way.

Serena aimed her gun and fired a rocksalt bullet straight into his gut. It fell backwards and she cocked her gun again, ready to fire another shot when he jumped to his feet as though nothing had happened, and she froze, watching his features twist up into a horrific smirk before he turned and disappeared through the window.

Dean appeared just as the glass shattered. From the door on her left, the girl's parents came rushing out, and Sam let the little girl go.

"What's going on out here?" The man bellowed, his voice deep and angry. Dean reached over and tugged on the belt loop of Serena's jeans, pulling her with him.

"Oh, my God, what are you doing?!" The woman's scared voice exclaimed just as Sam turned on his heel and followed them down. The last thing they heard before escaping the house was the little girl's whining voice.

"They shot my clown!"

Serena couldn't help the chuckle of disbelief that slipped from her lips as Dean dragged her out the front door.

_You're welcome, kid._

* * *

The sun had already risen by the time Dean felt they were safe enough to abandon the car and go on foot. Serena stood out on the side of the road, rocking back and forth on her heels as she waited for the brothers to finish up their concealment of Bobby's rundown van.

The same sense of being watched that had struck her the night before struck her again and her eyebrows knitted. Serena's eyes did a quick scan of her surroundings. Nothing but fields, trees and a seemingly never-ending road. Shaking her head, she looked back in time to catch the backpack Dean tossed her way.

"A little warning would have been nice," She shot him a glare, slinging it over her shoulder.

Dean winked,"Head's up, babe."

"Oh, you're hilarious." She drawled wryly,"Stop it, it hurts."

Dean chuckled, stuffing the license plate he had spent twenty minutes unscrewing into a bag. She raised an eyebrow.

"You really think they saw the plates?"

"Best not to take any chances." Sam appeared from in front of the car.

Dean tilted his head, nudging the tire with his boot, a look of distaste on his face,"Besides, I hate this friggin' thing anyway."

He gave the tire one last kick before the three of them began walking down the road, carrying bags. Serena got away with just a backpack, leaving her arms free. She slipped one through Sam's, and another through Dean's, linking them together.

"Well, one thing's for sure." She chirped after a few minutes of silence. Sam looked down at the top of her head as she skipped along in between them.

"What's that?"

"We're not dealing with a spirit. I mean, that rock salt hit something solid. When I shot him, he fell, and got right back up - we're gonna have to figure out a way for you guys to see him too, by the way."

"You just don't wanna be the one to fight the scary clown..." Dean teased, nudging her. She poked her tongue out.

"So, what is he?" Sam asked, remaining on the topic,"A person?"

"No. I don't sense people - I sense supernatural." Serena reminded him.

"Okay, so, a creature that can turn itself invisible?" Dean suggested.

"A creature who dresses like a clown for the fun of it? That's not creepy..." Serena pursed her lips,"Find anything in your dad's journal, Sammy?"

"Nope." Sam sighed, rooting through his pocket for his cell phone.

"Who are you calling?"

"Maybe Ellen or that guy Ash'll know something." Sam answered his brother, and then hesitated,"Hey, you think, uh, you think Dad and Ellen ever had a _thing_?"

Dean was quick to shake his head,"No way."

"Then why didn't he tell us about her?"

"I don't know, maybe they had some sort of falling out."

"Yeah. You ever notice Dad had a falling out with just about everybody?" Sam snorted, raising the phone to his ear. Serena silently urged Sam to leave it be, feeling Dean tense beside her, though the almost twenty-seven year old remained quiet.

"Well, don't get all maudlin on me, man."

Serena stepped back, putting her hand to her forehead.

_Oh, Sammy..._

Dean frowned, stopping too,"What do you mean?"

"I mean this strong, silent thing of yours, it's crap."

Dean rolled his eyes as much to say _oh, God, _and blew out a breath impatiently.

"I'm over it." Sam continued,"This isn't just anyone we're talking about, this is Dad. I know how you felt about the man."

"You know what, back off, all right?" Dean finally broke his silence,"Just because I'm not caring and sharing like you want me to."

"No, no, no, that's not what this is about, Dean. I don't care how you deal with this. But you have to deal with it, man." Sam's voice softened,"Listen, I'm your brother, all right? I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Dude, I'm okay. I'm okay, okay? I swear, the next person who asks me if I'm okay, I'm going to start throwing punches. These are your issues, quit dumping them on me!"

Serena grimaced softly; _there it is..._

Sam scoffed,"What are you talking about?"

"I just think it's really interesting, this sudden obedience you have to Dad. It's like, oh, what would Dad want me to do? Sam, you spent your entire life slugging it out with that man. I mean, hell, you - you picked a fight with him the last time you ever saw him. And now that he's dead, now you want to make it right? Well, I'm sorry Sam, but you can't, it's too little, too late."

"Why are you saying this to me?"

"Because I want you to be honest with yourself about this." Dean yelled back,"I'm dealing with Dad's death! Are _you_?"

Serena watched as Sam's jaw clenched and he turned away, walking a little ways ahead of them and speaking quietly.

"I'm going to call Ellen."

Dean grunted in frustration, a hand reaching up to rub his neck as he shook his head, staring at the ground. Serena pressed her lips into a thin line, just letting him pace for awhile until he calmed down. Up ahead, Sam had obviously gotten a hold of Ellen and was speaking animatedly into the phone. Dean stopped in front of her, looking at her expectantly.

"Well...?"

She arched an eyebrow,"Well, what?"

"Where's your pep-talk? Your '_it's good your getting your feelings out' _speech? I know you've been planning it this entire time."

Serena pursed her lips and shrugged,"I don't have one. Dean, getting your feelings out _sucks _to the highest level, but... you two needed this."

"Yeah, whatever."

Serena smirked, poking him teasingly to alleviate the tension radiating from him.

"_Yeah,_ _whatever._"

There was a slight twitch of his lips and she smiled, Sam returning to them a moment later.

"Rakshasa."

Serena pulled a face,"Rak-a-what?"

"Rakshasa." Sam repeated,"That's Ellen's best guess. It's a race of ancient Hindu creatures, they appear in human form, they feed on human flesh, they can make themselves invisible, and they cannot enter a home without first being invited."

"So they dress up like clowns, and the children invite them in..." Dean mused, earning a nod from Sam.

"So..." Serena began, her eyes narrowed,"Why don't they attack the kids?"

"No idea. Not enough meat on the bones, maybe?"

Dean began walking again, leaving the younger two to catch up. When Sam made it back to his side, he voiced the next question on his mind.

"What else did you find out?"

"Well, apparently, Rakshasas live in squalor. They sleep on a bed of dead insects."

"Ew!" Came Serena's response as the woman lagged behind, swinging her arms as she strode lazily behind them.

"Yeah, and they have to feed a few times every twenty or thirty years." Sam continued,"Slow metabolism, I guess."

"Makes sense." Serena nodded,"I mean, the Carnival today, the Bunker Brothers' in '81... probably more before that..."

"Hey guys, who do we know that worked both shows?" Dean asked, his eyes flitting from Sam to Serena.

Serena's face scrunched up in thought, and her eyes suddenly widened when it dawned on her,"Cooper!"

Dean nodded,"Cooper..."

"You know, that picture of his father, that looked just like him." Sam recalled, his tone suspicious. Serena decided to join up with them again, falling into step beside Sam.

"You think it's him?"

"When we were in the office, did you get any thing off him?" Dean asked her. She shrugged.

"I got something off the entire carnival." Serena explained,"But I don't think there was anything from _him _specifically. It's worth a shot anyway. Ellen say how to kill him, by any chance?"

"Legend goes, a dagger made of pure brass."

_"Of course..._"

Dean's hand shot out to stop them,"I think I know where to get one of those actually."

"Well, before we go stabbing things into Cooper, we're going to want to make damn sure it's him." Sam pointed out, his brow creasing.

Dean rolled his eyes,"Oh, you're such a stickler for details, Sammy. All right, I'll round up the blade, you two go check if Cooper's got bedbugs."

Serena shuddered, sharing a disgruntled look with Sam.

"_Yay..._"

* * *

The carnival that night again received the same reaction it had the night before. Families milled around the place, little kids running excitedly throughout the place. Sam and Serena hurried towards Cooper's trailer, only for Serena to pull up short.

The feeling hit her so strongly that she gasped for breath, feeling like she'd been winded. Sam rushed back to her, grabbing her arm to keep her steady.

"Woah, what happened? You okay?"

"There's something wrong. I think something's here. Look, you check out Cooper's place and round back to Dean. I'm gonna go check out the carnival."

Without waiting, Serena turned around and began jogging in the opposite direction.

"Are you okay on your own?" He called after her.

Serena slowed, turning but still moving,"I'm a big girl, Sammy. Just watch your back."

* * *

Serena allowed her senses to lead her towards the parking lot. The place was deserted, which freaked her out more than she liked to admit. A cool breeze passed by her, and she pulled the jacket Dean had thrown over her earlier tighter around her body.

It was big on her, but the warm leather and familiar scent of Dean comforted her. She had been slightly surprised by the sudden gesture, but only just. Dean hadn't even said anything, just noticed the goosebumps on her arms and shrugged it off himself, draping it over her and ignoring the inquisitive glance from his brother.

She finally spotted other people and rolled her eyes. Teenagers, getting a little too touchy-feely. The feeling that had once been a specific dot that led her to the parking lot spanned out, confusing her. With a sigh, she resigned herself to heading down the dark alley, not catching how the boy nuzzling the neck of some girl let the girl's body fall to the ground, and smirked as he watched Serena disappear around the corner.

Walking down the alley reminded Serena of just a few days ago, and she scolded herself.

"Damn it, Serena, this is how horror movies begin..."

"Not quite..." A voice snarled behind her and she was pushed roughly against the wall, and felt the sharp sting of fangs as they pierced her neck. The vampire reared his head back to grin down at her, blood lust raging in his eyes, his grip on her too tight for to break free from.

"In horror movies, the stunning young protagonist survives..."

* * *

**Hey, a wild chapter appears! Sorry for the late update, I've been Action Girl these past few days... and I missed The Walking Dead so much I literally spent a day sprawled across the couch having a marathon. I'm kinda a loser like that.**

**But, anyway, chapter five is here now, so hopefully you guys won't be too mad at me *smiles innocently and gulps*.**

**Thank you to everyone who favorited and followed and reviewed. **

**Review Replies:**

**Guest: **Thank you, and I plan to :)

**Aisa Hitsuuna: **I'm glad you liked it, and thank you for following. Yay, I love that you like Serena. I was hoping she wouldn't be too out of place. Thanks for reviewing! :)

**Next chapter will be up within a couple days - I promise.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Serena. **

**Warning: A few curse words ahead.**

* * *

Dean remembered the first time Serena had allowed her senses to get her into trouble.

It was the first summer they ever spent together at Bobby's. Sam had been seventeen at the time, Dean had been twenty-one and Serena had been eighteen. Sam had run up to him so fast, Dean had worried his legs would topple out from under him. Apparently Serena had just taken off down the road, and disappeared. Dean had grabbed his gun, told Sam to get Bobby and had hurried off down the road, only to find her being held down by a shapeshifter. It was after that incident where they learned Serena was able to see their trademark silver eyes that could usually only be seen as a retinal flare in a camera or a reflection of some other kind. After that was also when Bobby began teaching her hand-to-hand combat.

She had done it a few times in the six years he had known her; wandered off to follow a sense without stopping to think. It wasn't something Serena did often, however, but she definitely did it, and it always seemed to be Dean who was the one to haul her ass to safety.

Dean knew Serena could take care of herself, but it was the thought that maybe one day she'd bite off more than she could chew that had Dean running. He had been on his way to the blind man's trailer when his phone buzzed with a message from Sam, telling him in not so many words that Serena had taken off and he couldn't find her.

Dean cursed softly under his breath, stooping to check underneath the parked cars as a last effort, before accepting that she wasn't in the parking lot. Just as he was about to rise up, his ears caught something in the distance.

Dean took off running towards the sound, rounding the corner and tackling the vampire to the ground. Serena gasped in pain as her knees buckled, her hand coming up to cover the bleeding wound.

"Ow, son of a bitch!"

Dean's fist reared back and slammed into the vampire's face again and again. The vampire kicked Dean off of him, and he landed painfully beside Serena as the vampire took off.

Dean grumbled angrily, standing up and extending his hand to Serena. She took it and stood up, looking off into the distance.

"Yeah, you better run... dick."

"What the _hell_ happened?!" Dean exclaimed, moving her hand away to inspect the bite.

"Fangboy jumped me." Serena winced, staring at her bloody hand and then began massaging her sore wrists,"Pretty spry for a dead guy."

Dean pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped her hand with it, brushing his fingertips over her red wrists.

"They're gonna bruise. C'mon, we gotta get you cleaned up."

"No time for that. Vampire may be gone, but that clown bastard's still here. Besides, bleeding has stopped. Let's just get in and get out."

Dean pursed his lips, his jaw clenching as he dropped her hands and pointed at her,"Fine, but you are to stay by my side, you hear me? We will talk about this."

Serena saluted him,"Sir, yes, sir!"

Dean grunted and moved off. Serena's grin dropped and she pulled a face before following after him, not at all looking forward to the unavoidable lecture ahead of her.

* * *

Just as they reached the Blind Man's trailer, Sam flew out and narrowly avoided colliding with them.

"Sam, what happened?" Dean grabbed his arms to steady him.

"It's the blind guy. He's our target."

"How do you know?" Serena asked, drawing his attention. He opened his mouth, and shut it again, tilting his head to one side.

"What happened to your neck?"

"She was an idiot. How do you know it's him, Sammy?"

Serena rolled her eyes at Dean, and Sam shook his head,"Uh... wig in the trunk. Plus, his face kinda... morphed."

"Morphed? Morphed how?"

Sam grimaced,"You know that sadistic smirk you mentioned?"

Serena nodded.

"That's not makeup."

Serena shuddered,"Things just got creepier. Where did he go?"

"That's the thing, I don't know. He just vanished."

"Did you find the brass blades?" Dean asked him.

"No, it's been one of those days, but I have an idea, c'mon."

* * *

Serena bristled as they got closer to the funhouse. Just as Serena stepped over the threshold into another room, the door slammed closed behind her, separating herself and Sam from Dean.

"Guys!"

Sam grabbed the handle and roughly tugged at it. He slapped the hard surface of the door,"Dean, just find the maze! You can get in through that way."

"On it!"

Sam turned back to Serena,"You don't see him anywhere, do you?"

"No. Remember how we said we needed to find a way for you and Dean to see him too?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember how we never did that?"

Sam sighed, and caught sight of the organ in the corner, and the steam coming from the pipes. He looked back to Serena, who had the same idea as he, and reached out to touch one of the pipes. A sizzling noise caught Serena's attention.

Sam's hand drew back to his chest immediately and he cursed. Serena pursed her lips.

"I'm gonna guess they're hot." Serena reached into Dean's jacket pocket and took the handkerchief Dean had used on her hand out, and handing it to Sam.

"Here, use this."

Sam wrapped it around his hand, and began pulling at the pipe.

Serena saw the reflection of Dean's silhouette in a glass case and suddenly, he was beside her.

"He's not here?"

"He's around here somewhere..." Serena glanced down a hallway and grabbed Dean's arm, pulling him down,"Watch out!"

A knife came whirring past their heads, lodging in the wall beside them. Sam finally managed to dislodge the pipe, and Serena frowned,"Where the hell did he go now?"

Dean reached up and pushed a lever down, filling the room with steam. He pulled a switchblade from his back pocket, falling into a defensive stance.

"Alright, Bozo, let's go."

"On your left." Serena called out, and Dean slammed his knife to the side, catching sight of the outline of the clown. The clown darted forward and managed to disappear again, only to show up behind Sam.

"Sammy, behind you!"

Sam shoved the pipe backwards and stood back. Serena watched the clown fall to the ground, clutching his wound as he sank to his knees and curled up. Slowly, his clothes began to sink and Serena stepped forward, reaching out and kicking the clothes experimentally.

Nothing.

"Is he gone?" Sam asked her. Serena nodded,"Yeah, he's gone."

"Good." Dean ran a hand through his hair,"I hate funhouses."

* * *

"Sorry about getting blood on your jacket."

Dean's eyes snapped up from the wet cloth he was fiddling with and locked with Serena's,"It's a jacket, Serena. Believe me, there could have been worse fatalities tonight."

Serena played with the bandage he had made her hold as he slowly pushed her hair to one side and dabbed the dry blood away. She nibbled the inside of her bottom lip, waiting for him to speak.

"Between you and Sammy, I'm gonna have a heart attack one of these days." Dean said, gently taking the badage from her grasp,"You know you're supposed to tell someone when you sense things."

"I did. I told Sam."

Dean sighed,"You're supposed to tell _me_..."

"Dean -"

"No, I know, you can handle yourself. Believe me, I know. _Everyone_ knows. That doesn't stop people from worryin' about you, Rena. Had Sam not gotten worried, I wouldn't have found you, and things could have gone from bad to worse. Let me see your wrists."

Serena wordlessly raised her wrists for him to see. He took her hands in his, angling his head to see them properly under the overhead light of the roadhouse. Ellen had gone and collected them herself, and Bobby was coming to collect them. Sam sat over in the corner, talking to Jo and Ellen, while Dean had made Serena sit on the counter while he took care of her.

The sight of the bruised skin made him angry and he wished he had gone after the son of a bitch. He gently dropped her hands and stepped back to help her slide off the counter, pushing the anger down.

"Good luck explaining those to Bobby."

He heard Serena whine behind him and chuckled, taking a seat beside Sam. Serena followed and sank into the chair on Sam's other side.

"You three did one hell of a job." Ellen nodded appreciatively,"Your dad would be proud."

Sam smiled,"Thanks."

The door into the backroom swung open and Ash appeared,"Where you guys been? Been waitin' for ya."

"So sorry to keep you waitin', Ash, we were on a job." Serena smiled,"Clowns."

"Clowns?" He repeated,"What the f - ?"

"You got somethin' for us, Ash?" Dean chuckled, cutting him off.

Ash set his laptop down, and Serena marveled at the fact the laptop was still working. So much duct tape, so many wires...

Eyebrows raised, Sam questioned,"Did you find the demon?"

"It's nowhere around. At least, nowhere I can find. But if this fugly bastard raises his head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like Divine on dog dookie."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, any of those signs or omens appear, anywhere in the world. my rig'll go off. Like a fire alarm."

Serena nodded, impressed,"Ash, how did you learn all of this stuff?"

"MIT." He answered, scratching the side of his nose idly,"Before I got bounced for... uh, fighting."

"MIT?" Dean echoed disbelievingly.

"Yeah, it's a school in Boston."

Serena laughed as Dean rolled his eyes,"Yeah, that's funny. You give us a call if you find anything?"

"Si, si, compadre."

The sound of a car pulling up outside had Serena standing up and walking over to the window, staring out. She waved and glanced back over her shoulder.

"Bobby's here."

Ellen stood up,"Thanks again for handlin' the case, and if you need anything, please, don't be strangers."

Dean nodded, giving the woman a smile.

"See you 'round, Ellen."

* * *

Sam stepped out into Bobby's yard, walking over to his brother, who was still under the Impala, the same way he had been since they returned. Serena had left only thirty minutes before after a lecture from her uncle, heading into Sioux Falls town thirty minutes away, probably to endure a second lecture from her mother.

Sam didn't envy her. Bobby and Evelyn, despite there being a ten year age difference, were exactly alike when it came to telling it like it is. Yeah, Sam _definitely _didn't envy Serena.

"Dean, it's past one. Maybe you should get some sleep."

"Not tired."

Sam sighed, staring up at the stars, shaking his head softly,"You were right..."

Dean appeared, walking over to his tool box and rummaging through it,"About what?"

"About me and dad. I'm sorry that the last time I was with him I tried to pick a fight. I'm sorry that I spent most of my life angry at him. I mean, for all I know he died thinking that I hate him. So you're right. What I'm doing right now, it's too little. It's too late." Sam paused, sniffling quietly as the prickly sensation began behind his nose,"I miss him, man. And I feel guilty as hell. And I'm not all right. Not at all. But neither are you. That much I know."

Sam stepped back,"I'll let you get back to work."

Dean watched his little brother go, feeling the bubble that had been in his chest from the moment his father came to him in his hospital room and whispered something in his ear that haunted Dean. The same bubble that only grew as he watched the doctors declare his father dead that was now bursting inside his chest. Tears threatened to spill, and his lower lip quivered as all of the emotions he had worked so hard to push down in the past week suddenly exploded, becoming the only thing he could focus on.

Dean felt the cool metal of the crowbar in his hand and squeezed before lunging forward and bringing the crowbar down hard against the window of a nearby car.

He then swung around and brought the bar down onto the trunk of the Impala, swinging over and over again before his body became weak and he gave up. Breathing heavily, he dropped the crowbar and ran his hands through his hair as the first few tears began to fall.

* * *

Serena was sitting in front of her laptop, reading the news article of the girl found outside the carnival dead, drained of blood. Serena sighed heavily, running a hand through her long hair. If only she had looked closer, if only she hadn't been so quick to assume they were just some young couple, maybe she would have been able to do something.

A knock on the front door made her jump, and she closed down her laptop, turning in her chair.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, glancing at the clock. Two AM.

Serena approached the door slowly, and reached up on her tip toes to stare out through the peep-hole.

Her frown deepened and she pulled the front door open,"Dean, what are you -?"

He looked up from his shoes at her then and her eyes softened, immediately seeing his red-rimmed eyes and slightly flushed cheeks. The look he gave her was heartbreaking, and she reached out, tugging on his hand so that he stepped into her apartment before she reached up and wound her arms around his neck.

Dean buried his head in the uninjured side of her neck, his hands sliding around her waist and holding her tightly to him. She felt the drops of his tears soak into her long-sleeved top and pressed her lips to the shell of his ear, running her hand through his hair.

"Sh, it's okay. I've got you. Always."

* * *

**Aw, cute little ending. So, I was determined to get this out before the end of the day, and it is 11:20 PM as I'm wrapping this up, so go me for actually achieving one of the goals I set out to fulfill this morning. **

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, so make sure to review and let me know your views. **

**Next chapter in a few days. :)**

**~ Megan (EmBee)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"So, in the past few weeks that I haven't been with you..." Serena began as she strolled through the small park in the town square, her destination in sight just across the street,"You and Sam have met some dude named Andy whose life is one big game of Simon Says, ran into Crossroads Demons, and been arrested..."

"Yep." Dean's confirmation sounded from the other line.

Serena paused,"Damn. All I did was hunt a Banshee with Bobby."

"Oh, yeah. How did that go?"

"My ears are still ringing." Serena rolled her eyes, smiling as the little bell above the door of 'Beth's Books' jingled as she stepped inside. She passed behind the counter, squeezing her mother's arm as she did and making her way into the back room, she set the coffee cups down,"So, where are you right now?"

Dean sighed heavily,"Leaving Michigan. Or, we're supposed to be - Sammy can't find his perfume."

"It's cologne!"

"Same difference." Dean called back, and Serena laughed.

"Well, I'll see you when you get back." She said,"Try not to kill each other."

"Ah, no promises. Bye."

"Bye." Serena rolled her eyes with a smile and set her phone down, hanging up her coat and setting her bag behind the desk. She picked up her styrofoam cup again and headed out into the front.

As Serena reached the door, she paused and frowned, glancing over her shoulder.

Tilting her head at the closed, pale yellow door that led into the basement. There was a faint noise coming from behind it, and cautiously, she approached it.

The closer Serena got, the higher her senses flared, and she quietly stopped by a filing cabinet. Reaching under the various files, her fingers closed over the cool handle of the dagger her mother kept in there, and she slid it out.

Serena reached the door and cocked her head as the noise completely ceased.

Suddenly, the door behind her swung open with a bang, and she gasped, whirling around. The seventeen year old boy's hazel eyes were wide as he looked at her guiltily.

"Sorry, sis."

"Seth..." Serena let out a breathless chuckle as she set a hand over her thumping heart. She wagged the knife in the air for him to see before setting it down,"Didn't mom ever tell you not to sneak up on a hunter?"

Seth grimaced,"I didn't know you were back here. What are you doing anyway?"

"Thought I heard something behind the door, but... it's gone now."

"You think it's a demon?" Seth asked, setting the box of books down and tugging at his red employee t-shirt.

"No," Serena answered quickly,"And try not to sound so excited at the thought. Demons are bad. Very, very bad."

Seth rolled his eyes,"I know, I know. Between you and mom and dad, I think I've got that by now."

"Jus' making sure." Serena shrugged,"Now, go. Work. You're still in mom's bad books for sneaking out past curfew."

"I don't see what the big deal is. You used to go out hunting when you were a teenager at 2 AM."

"Correction, I was nineteen, and I was with Dean - someone they trust. I was not sneaking out with my friends to get high."

Seth's eyes widened,"I wasn't getting high."

"Dude, I'm your big sister. You can't hide those things from me. You're just lucky mom didn't pick up on it."

"You won't tell her, right?"

"Not unless you do it again."

"Deal. Levi and Gina are here."

"You didn't think to tell me sooner?"

"You were busy with the whole demon thing!"

"It wasn't a demon. It was my imagination, and it was playing tricks on me. Now go tell Levi and Gina I'll be out in a minute."

"You're so bossy." Seth grumbled as he walked out, his shaggy hair flying out of his face as he blew out a long breath.

Serena smiled,"You should be used to it by now, baby brother."

As soon as the door closed, Serena's shoulders tensed again and she reached for the knife, grabbing the handle of the door and throwing it open.

She reached behind the door and switched on the light, descending the stairs and looking around.

Her shoulders slumped. Nothing.

Shaking her head, Serena returned upstairs and closed the door behind herself, missing as the eyes of a portrait followed her every move.

* * *

"I have no idea what's happening." Serena sighed as she lay her head on her folded arms,"My senses have been completely out of whack lately."

"Is it your time of the month?" Levi asked, pursing his lips.

She rolled her eyes, giving him a look,"Doesn't work like that."

"Maybe you're just stressed." Gina suggested,"You haven't really allowed yourself time to breathe lately. Between work and hunting..."

"But I'm used to the chaos." Serena shrugged,"It never bothered me before."

"First time for everything..." Levi trailed off distractedly, staring at the blonde across from them, who gave him a flirtatious smile.

Gina and Serena shared a look before Serena snorted,"Would you just go and talk to her already? You two keep making googly eyes at one another and I may just throw up."

Levi wasted no time in jumping out of his seat. He grinned at them, rubbing his hands together, fidgeting nervously.

"Wish me luck."

"Good luck." They chorused, watching as he turned around, running a hand slowly through his hair as he made his way over, his posture 'cool'. Serena and Gina burst out laughing, shaking their heads.

"Well, at least one of us might end up with a date."

Serena scrunched up her nose sympathetically,"Things didn't work out with that Thomas guy?"

"Tell a guy you have a nine year old son on a first date, they tend to run in the opposite direction." Gina sighed,"What about you?"

"Me? Dating?" Serena laughed,"Nice one."

Gina rolled her eyes good-naturedly,"I'm serious. What about Dean?"

Serena choked on her coffee,"I'm sorry, what?"

"Oh, c'mon, don't tell me you've never thought about it. He likes you."

"Yeah, 'cause we're friends."

"Fine, pretend you don't see what's really there. That's fine, but I am telling you, right here, right now; it's gonna happen."

"No it's not. But you know what is gonna happen; Levi's gonna embarrass himself in three... two... one."

"Oh my God!" Levi exclaimed as he knocked his cup of hot coffee onto his lap,"Son of a - why is this so hot? OH! Coffee! Coffee in bad places!"

* * *

"I've been doing my research." Bobby announced the second she entered the living room early the next morning,"And from what I can tell, the Sensitives we know about haven't ever experienced something like this."

"Seriously?" Serena sighed, flopping onto the couch,"Did you call Laurent?"

"I'm trying to track him down." Bobby nodded,"As far as I can tell, he and his wife moved back to France, but that's all I know."

"It makes no sense. Why would my senses be acting up now? I just want answers."

"And we'll find them, but you have to give it time. You have to remember that your senses aren't something you can control. If they're acting up, there's a reason and we'll find it."

Serena nodded,"Right. I just have to be patient... I can do that..." She pulled herself upright,"So, you have any cases or something? I'm bored."

"Serena..." Bobby said patiently,"I don't think you should be hunting. Not until we figure out what the problem is."

"Bobby, I can hunt with or without my senses."

"It's dangerous -"

"It's always dangerous. Please don't do the protective uncle thing, I thought we were cool."

"Serena Ann -"

"Robert Steven - yeah, I can use middle names too."

Bobby grunted and inhaled,"Just... please, don't do anything stupid."

"I won't. I promise."

* * *

Serena stared at her reflection in her bathroom later that day. She knew Bobby was just trying to protect her, but she didn't need to be protected.

She could take care of herself. With or without her senses.

Serena had to admit, not being able to trust them was a good bit disconcerting, but just because she couldn't rely on them didn't mean she was any less of a hunter.

Her phone buzzed on the counter, and she reached out for it, opening up the message.

_**(1) New Message(s) From: **__Dean_

_New case. You in?_

Serena glanced from the four simple words to her reflection and then to the picture of herself and her uncle on the section of mantlepiece she could see from the bathroom.

Her fingers typed a reply before she could feel guilty about it.

_Pick me up in ten._

* * *

**Okay, I apologize for two things; the delay, and this chapter. I'm not very happy with it, but I've got Writer's Block and I wanted to get something up. The next chapter will be miles better, I promise.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys got some enjoyment out of it. I introduced a few new OCs, obviously, and I'd love to hear your opinions.**

**~ Megan.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Rivergrove, Oregon was where their next case took them. Approximately twenty-three hours away from Sioux Falls, the drive had been long and Serena was glad to get out of the Impala and stretch her legs. She loved that car, and she loved long car rides, but there was a such thing as _too _long.

"You're sure it was the Rivergrove in Oregon?" Dean asked as he sat on the motel bed. Sam nodded as Serena paced.

"There was a picture. Crater Lake."

Serena halted her pacing, flopping down beside Dean,"Okay, what else?"

"Uh, I saw a dark room, some people, and a guy tied to a chair."

Dean leaned forward,"And I ventilated him?"

"Yeah. You thought there was something inside him."

"What, a demon?" Serena asked,"Was he possessed?"

Shrugging, Sam sighed,"I don't know."

"Well, all your weirdo visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed Demon somehow ... so was there any black smoke? Did we try to exorcise it?"

"No." Sam answered his brother,"Nothing, you just plugged him, that's it."

Serena felt Dean's body tense beside her, and he spoke quietly,"Well, I'm sure I had a good reason."

"I sure hope so."

Serena sent Sam a warning look and he froze, caught of guard by the words that left his own lips. Dean narrowed his eyes.

"What does that mean?" There was a pause,"I mean, I'm not gonna waste an innocent man. I wouldn't!"

Sam held his hands up in surrender,"I never said you would!"

Serena squeezed Dean's forearm reassuringly,"We know you would never... You're not that guy."

"Look, we don't know what it is." Sam continued,"But whatever it is, that guy in the chair's a part of it. So let's find him, and see what's what."

"Fine." Dean grumbled.

Sam nodded, sharing a look with the woman sat across from him, who still had her hand on Dean's arm.

"Fine."

* * *

The plan was for Serena to stay at the motel and try build a case while the boys located the chair guy. She sat in front of Sam's laptop, reading various articles from recent weeks, trying to find something that stuck.

Her phone lay beside the computer, and it began ringing, stirring her from her concentration. She picked it up and groaned when she read the caller ID - Bobby.

"Hey, Uncle Bobby, who I love so much."

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?"

"Bobby -"

"No, you listen to me, Serena Ann. You make a promise, you stick to it. I gotta find out through your brother that you've gotten your ass into a case again after you promisin' me you would be careful?"

"I am being careful - I'm with Sam and Dean." Serena sighed, typing in a few new keywords and waiting for the page to load.

"Do they even know that you've been all over the place?"

Serena faltered,"Maybe..."

"_Serena..._"

"Okay, no! They don't. But they don't _need_ to. It's not like my senses are gone, there's just some kind of... interference." Serena pulled a face as she clicked on an article entitled 'Local Man, 36, dies of sudden cardiac arrest'.

"Interference that has almost gotten and still could get you _dead_."

"It won't." Serena assured,"Now we can argue on who is the bigger idiot - me, myself or I - or you could tell me if you have gotten ahold of Laurent yet?" There was silence on the other line. Serena frowned,"Bobby?"

She pulled the phone away from her ear to stare at the screen. _No Signal._

Her frown deepened as she glanced at the laptop screen and realized the internet connection had completely cut too. She paused and then dialed Dean's number, only to have _No Signal _flash across her screen once more. Her shoulders slumped.

"_Great_..."

* * *

Dean and Sam came to collect her before heading over to Duane Tanner's home and filled her on their Croatoan conversation.

She remembered back to the days of high school, sitting in history class and recalled that Croatoan was the word carved into a tree on Roanoke Island at the sight of the Lost Colony in 1590. That was about all she knew on the subject.

The Tanner house was more of a cabin in the middle of nowhere, adding to Serena's unease as they pulled up outside. Her eyebrows knitted together as she tilted her head, trying to concentrate on the familiar, ice cold feeling in her chest that told her something was off.

She felt someone squeeze her knee and glanced over at Dean. His green eyes trained on her and he raised an eyebrow,"You comin' with us, or what?"

"Actually, I think I'll head around back." Serena decided, climbing out. She waited until Dean and Sam were on the porch before edging in towards the back of the house. She could vaguely hear Sam and Dean speaking to someone, and then, peering through the living room window, she saw them enter. Sam caught her eyes and she gave him a grin, before turning her attention to Mr. Tanner and the young boy she assumed to be Duane's brother. Their backs were to her, but there was something about them that didn't sit right with her.

The way they barely moved as they spoke, even the way they held themselves was off. No fidgeting, no nothing.

She watched Sam and Dean nod and turn to walk out and ducked down, not finished with her search. Angling her head around the wall, she made sure the coast was clear before sliding up underneath the kitchen window. She slowly rose up so that her eye line was over the edge of the window sill, and muffled her gasp with her hand.

A woman sat in the kitchen, bound to a chair with thick rope. She was gagged, and looked stricken with fear as the teenage boy set his hands on her shoulder. He spoke to her, and that was when Serena saw Mr. Tanner enter, weilding a large, silver steak knife.

Serena took off running. She rounded back to the front and passed the boys to get to the trunk, opening it and frantically rooting through the bag for weapons.

"Serena, what's wrong?"

"They're gonna kill her." She answered quickly, tossing them both guns and sprinting up the porch steps. She roughly grabbed the door handle and tugged, realizing it was locked. She reared her elbow back and smashed it through the square pane of glass in the door, knocking the shards away and reaching in to unlock the door.

Sam and Dean brought up the rear as they burst through the front door and into the kitchen. Mr. Tanner was ready and knocked the gun from her hand as he rushed at her with the knife. Serena grabbed his wrist and twisted it until the knife was aimed up into the air, and elbowed him in the face.

Dean rushed to free the woman as Sam took on the boy. The boy turned and jumped straight through the window Serena had been spying through, and that was all Serena had time to see before she had to move again. She ducked out of the way, grabbing one of Mr. Tanner's arms and slamming him face first into the wall, grabbing his other wrist and pulling it back towards her before crushing it against the wall, disarming him. He reached back and sent a powerful kick to her shin, giving him room to turn and throw her back against the sink.

She skidded, her back colliding with a cabinet painfully, but she brightened when she landed right beside her gun. Taking aim, she fired three shots into his chest. He fell to the floor and Serena looked up at Sam, silently asking about the boy.

He shook his head and she nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Well that's enough fighting for a year. Maybe two."

"You losin' your touch?" Dean asked teasingly, bending down to inspect Mr. Tanner.

Raising her eyebrows, Serena challenged him,"You wanna go? Let's go. You want me to shoot you?"

Dean chuckled, standing up and reaching down to help her up. Sam knelt down beside the sobbing woman and gently took her hand.

"It's okay. You're safe now."

* * *

They brought the woman (who Serena learned was actually Beverly Tanner) to a hospital clinic nearby, where a nurse named Pam and a Dr. Lee began treating the traumatized woman. Sam, Dean and Serena remained in the empty hallway, listening in and waiting for news.

Serena couldn't sit still. She had never really minded hospitals before, but this place was so ... empty. She doubted there were even patients. She stretched out her arm, rolling out her elbow, feeling the pull of the stitches. Some of the glass from the glass door panel had shredded through her jacket. The cut wasn't too deep, only requiring three stitches, but it still hurt like hell.

Sam leaned against the wall beside the open door to the office Beverly was being treated in, and Serena and Dean sat across from him.

"You okay?" Dean whispered, catching onto her restlessness.

Serena nodded,"It's just this place. Givin' me the creeps."

"You and me both."

"Wait, you said Jake helped him?" They heard Dr. Lee's voice ask, his tone one of astonishment,"Your son, Jake?"

"They beat me. Tied me up." Beverly choked out.

"I don't believe it." Pam's voice followed.

"Beverly... do you have any idea why they would act this way? Any history of chemical dependency?" Dr. Lee hesitated.

"No, of course not. I don't know why. One minute they were my husband and my son. And the next, they had the devil in them."

At Beverly's last words, each of them tensed and looked between themselves. Dean nodded towards the empty nurses station,"We gotta talk."

They moved away from the door and out of earshot. Dean pointed a finger back towards the other three, as if Jake and Mr. Tanner were there too as he referenced them.

"Those guys were whacked out of their gourds."

"So, what are we looking at here? Multiple demons, mass possession?" Serena trailed off, leaving her question hanging in the air.

"If it is a possession there could be more. I mean, God knows how many, it could be like a friggin' Shriner convention."

Sam sighed, running a hand over his face,"Great."

"Of course, that's one way to wipe out a town, you take it from the inside."

"I don't know, man. We didn't see any of the demon smoke with Mr. Tanner, or any of the other usual signs."

"Well, whatever. Something turned him into a monster. And you know if you would've taken out the other one there'd be one less to worry about."

"I'm sorry, all right? I hesitated, Dean, it was a kid!"

"No, it was an 'it'. Not the best time for a bleeding heart, Sam."

"Doctor!" Serena exclaimed, clearing her throat pointedly,"How is she?

"Terrible!" The doctor admitted as he joined them,"What the hell happened out there?"

"We're still trying to figure that out." Serena said calmly.

"Yeah? Well, you just killed my next door neighbor."

"We didn't have a choice." Dean argued.

"Maybe so, but we need the county Sheriff. I need the coroner..."

Sam blew out a breath, shaking his head,"Phones are down."

"I know, I tried. Tell me you have a police radio in the car?"

"Yeah we do." Sam nodded slowly,"But it crapped out just like everything else."

Dean spoke up, an idea forming in his mind,"How far is it to the next town?"

"It's about forty miles down to Sidewinder." Dr. Lee replied.

"All right, I'm gonna go down there, see if I can find some help." He clapped Sam on the shoulder,"My partners here will stick around, keep you guys safe."

"Safe from what?"

Dean opened his mouth, and then considered his next words,"We'll get back to you on that."

Dean turned around and took off towards the exit, and it took a split second before Serena was right on his heels as he turned down into an empty hallway.

"Woah, hold up, should you really be going alone? We're not even sure what we're facing here."

"I won't be that long." Dean promised,"You have things handled here."

"Maybe, but what are _you _gonna do if you run into trouble?"

"I can handle a little trouble."

Serena huffed,"Fine, what about a _lot_ of trouble? Like, say, running into a couple dozen guys who have come down with the same 'I'm a psycho, hear me roar' tendencies that Mr. Tanner and Jake had? Even you can't take on a whole horde by yourself."

"If it happens, I'll just high tail it out of there. I'll be _fine_."

Serena bit her tongue, and then rolled her eyes, relenting,"You better be, 'cause if you die, I'll kill you."

Dean smirked,"You're so cute when you're worried and threatening."

Serena groaned,"Just go."

Dean chuckled, walking away from her. Just before he left, she called out.

"Remember; anything happens and your ass is mine, Winchester!"

Left alone in the empty hallway, Serena glanced around herself anxiously before making a noise close to a whimper and turning back to find Sam again.

* * *

Sam stared at the body of Mr. Tanner as Dr. Lee inspected something under his microscope.

Grimacing, Sam looked away from the body and over to the stool that Serena was spinning on. A pair of oversized safety goggles rested on the bridge of her nose and he shook his head at the twenty-four year old.

"You're worse than Dean."

Serena stopped spinning, poking her tongue out,"You're just jealous you don't have any super cool safety goggles."

"So jealous." Sam drawled sarcastically.

"Huh..."

Sam turned to stare at Dr. Lee,"What?"

"His lymphocyte percentage is pretty high. His body was fighting off a viral infection."

Serena removed the goggles from her face, standing up and stopping beside Sam,"What kind of virus?"

"Can't say for sure."

"Do you think an infection could have made him act like that?"

"None that I've ever heard of." Dr. Lee frowned,"I mean, some can cause dementia, but not that kind of violence. And besides, I've never heard of one that did this to the blood."

Serena arched an eyebrow,"Did what?"

Dr. Lee beckoned her over so she could look through the microscope as he continued,"There's this... weird residue. If I didn't know better I'd say it was..."

Serena lifted her head to look at Sam as she exhaled heavily, rolling her eyes,"Sulfur."

* * *

Dean slowly drove the Impala closer to the bridge leading into the closest town to Rivergrove, stopping completely when he saw the trouble ahead.

Access to the bridge was completely blocked by cars and a half-dozen people, each and every one of them toting guns. Dean narrowed his eyes when they zeroed-in on one of the locals in particular. Jake.

Something hit the roof of the Impala and Dean jumped as a man's hawk-like face zoomed into his peripheral vision. He regretted rolling the window down earlier on in the drive instantly.

Dean let out a breathless chuckle,"Hey."

"Sorry." The man said shortly,"Road's closed."

"Yeah, I can see that. What's up?"

"Quarantine."

"Quarantine?" Dean repeated,"What is it?"

"Don't know. Something going around out there."

"Uh-huh." Dean nodded suspiciously,"Who told you that?"

"County Sheriff."

Dean's interest was peaked,"Is he here?"

"No. He called." The man said quickly,"Say, why don't you get out of the car and we'll talk a little?"

Laughing nervously, Dean gave him a charming smirk,"Well, you are a handsome devil, but I don't swing that way, sorry."

The man didn't see the humor,"I'd sure appreciate it if you got out of the car, just for a quick minute."

Dean snorted,"Yeah, I'll bet you would."

Dean jolted the car into reverse, praying the Impala didn't conk, and was forced to go against his rules on how to properly treat his baby by making the car skid in order to dislodge the man's grip on the collar of his jacket.

The man tumbled onto the ground as Dean sped off in the direction he came.

* * *

"I don't understand." Beverly mumbled brokenly,"Are you saying my husband and Jake had a disease?"

"That's what we're trying to find out. Now, during the attack, do you remember... did you have any direct contact with their blood?" Dr. Lee questioned cautiously.

"Oh my God. You don't think I've got this virus, do you?" She asked, horrified.

"Beverly, I don't know what to think." Dr. Lee threaded carefully,"But with your permission, we'll take a blood sample."

Beverly glanced between Sam and Dr. Lee before nodding slowly.

"Okay..."

* * *

Serena stared down at the street below them, waiting anxiously for any sight of Dean's car, or any sight of Dean himself, really. Night had already fallen most of the way, and the sky was a midnight blue color, adding to her concern that he wasn't back yet.

She played absentmindedly with her necklace, rocking back and forth on her heels as she checked the time and then her phone.

Still absolutely no signal.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention to the situation, trying to figure out if anything about it struck a chord. It wasn't like any other hunt she had been on. Wrapping her arms tighter around herself, she glanced over her shoulder and back down the long corridor that led back to Sam, her eyes searching the shadows for the threat that wasn't there.

Glancing back towards the window, she gasped in fright, stumbling back from the glass as another reflection made itself known. It was blurry, distorted and in a blink of an eye, it was gone, leaving Serena wondering if she had imagined it.

She couldn't sense anything, but knowing that that didn't necessarily mean she was safe anymore made her run a hand over her face and through her hair in frustration.

She stepped forward, peering at her own reflection and nervously anticipating the return of the other face.

Nothing.

A loud yell and the smashing of glass had her racing back towards Sam, fearing the worst.

* * *

**Chapter 8! Woo! I hope you enjoyed, and a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed between chapter 7 and now :)**

**I love getting feedback. **

**So, something is messing with Serena and her senses, but who will cave and tell the Winchester brothers about it first? Serena or Bobby? Let me know what you guys think.**

**~ Megan**


	9. Chapter 9

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Serena watched Duane Tanner fidget in the chair he was tied to, flipping her knife over and over in her hands. So much had happened in just less than an hour.

Dean had returned with a guy named Mark, who seemed to know Beverly well. Dean had been forced to shoot Beverly and soon after, Duane arrived, seemingly normal. Then again, Beverly had been 'seemingly normal' too, up until the point she tried to kill Sam. They had had Duane tied up in the lab while Pam and Dr. Lee desperately tried to find something that would reveal what was happening in the town. Mark stood by the window, staring down at the group of infected that had begun to pool at the entrance.

Serena pursed her lips in thought. It was almost like a zombie apocalypse without the actual zombies. These people were just brutally killing each other.

She let her head loll back against the wall, blowing out a breath. She regretted not listening to Bobby and staying back in Sioux Falls, but then again, she wouldn't leave if she had the chance. She was in now, and she wouldn't be out until this mess was sorted.

She turned her head in the direction of the closed door, hearing the muffled sounds of Sam and Dean talking in the hall. Sticking her knife back into her back pocket, she slipped out into the corridor.

"This is my vision, Dean. It's happening." Sam was saying.

"Yeah, I figured."

"You can't kill him, all right? Not yet. We don't know if he's infected or not."

"Well, I think we're pretty damn sure. Guy shows up out of nowhere, he's got a cut on his leg, his whole family's infected?"

"We could be wrong." Serena pointed out,"So we keep him tied up, keep eyes on him. Doc said it took three hours from the initial exposure for Beverly to go all kung-fu on our asses. We just have to wait and see."

"For what? For him to Hulk out and infect somebody else? No thanks, can't take that chance. Hey look, I'm not happy about this, okay? But it's a tough job and you know that."

"It's supposed to be tough, Dean. We're supposed to struggle with this, that's the whole point." Sam argued.

"What does that buy us?"

"A clear conscience, for one!"

"Well, it's too late for that."

"What happened to you?" Serena asked suddenly, her eyes narrowed.

"What?" Dean frowned, looking at her.

"This isn't you. You can't kill a possibly innocent man, you don't have it in you."

"She's right, Dean. It's almost like you're one of those things." Sam accused.

Dean's jaw clenched,"Hm..." Dean grabbed onto the back of Sam's neck and hurled him against the wall, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and tossing him into a supply closet.

Serena's mouth hung open and Dean wordlessly pushed passed her, heading into the lab. Serena was too late to stop him, as he slammed the door closed behind himself and locked it.

"Dean! I swear, you don't open this door -" Serena cut herself off, shoving her body against the door, but it didn't budge. Cursing loudly and rushing back to the supply closet,"Sam, you okay?"

"Fine. Where's Dean?"

"In the lab."

"You need to stop him."

"He locked the door." Serena replied,"I can't bust it down."

"Try again."

Serena took a deep breath and headed back to the door to the lab. She threw herself against it, once, twice and a third time before the pain set in. Rolling her shoulder, she backed up to try once more, hearing Duane's panicked cries from inside.

Just as she was about to bolt against the door again, it opened and Dean walked out. She caught a glimpse of Duane, scared but unhurt, and growled, grabbing Dean like he had grabbed Sam and roughly pushing him against the wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I didn't do it, Serena."

"No, but you were going to. I swear, you better be infected, because if there isn't a valid reason behind your behaviour, I will have to kick your ass, and you know I can do it."

"Would you just let it go? He's fine. I didn't touch him."

Serena gritted her teeth, taking a deep, calming breath before stepping back. Dean moved to walk away from her but she grabbed his arm and gave him a warning look.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, and I don't care right now. Just knock it off."

Dean shrugged her off, going to set Sam free and Serena left the brothers to have their own fight, shaking her head.

She looked back at Duane. She didn't know if he was infected or not, her senses had pretty much given up on her, but Dean's attitude was uncalled for and it worried her. Dean had always been a hothead, but this was something else.

She just wanted her Dean back.

* * *

"You talkin' to me yet?"

Serena looked up from where she had been preparing Molotov cocktails beside Mark to look at Dean,"Depends. Remove the stick up your ass?"

"Look, I know I was outta line -"

"Yeah, you were. We're supposed to think before we make decisions, Dean, that's how we stay alive. You can't just rush in, guns blazing. You could be right, maybe he is infected, but what would you have done if he wasn't? He's a _kid_, Dean, and you have a heart."

"I wasn't able to do it. It's just this situation - we don't even know where to start, and we can't call Bobby or even Ellen. It could be anyone and we'd have no idea."

Mark gave him a look,"Don't look at me."

Serena laughed,"Don't worry, Mark. You're crazy, just not _that _crazy."

Mark poked his tongue out,"I'm not sure I like her. Where did you find her?"

"My dreams." Dean gave her a smirk. She let out a laugh,"Don't think you can drop me a line and I'll forget I'm angry at you. I'm a woman, Dean. I can hold a grudge for centuries."

"But you won't, because you love me."

Serena opened her mouth to give him a witty retort but the sound of a commotion from the small room Sam had disappeared into. Serena hopped up as Dean and Mark armed themselves, and she looked around.

"Where's Pam?"

"She followed Sam inside." Dr. Lee revealed. Dean heard another crash from inside and wasted no time in kicking the door open. Pam was straddling Sam, bleeding from the wrist. Dean fired three shots and she fell to the ground beside the youngest Winchester, convulsing before finally dying.

Dean and Serena stepped forward to help Sam up off the floor but Mark shot his arm out, stopping them in their tracks.

"She bled on him. He's got the virus."

* * *

Serena kept an arm wrapped around Sam's back as he sat on the stool, looking near tears as everyone argued around them. He reminded her, in that moment, of the teenage boy she had first met all those years ago. The boy that had reminded her instantly of Seth, and therefore grew to be someone she viewed as another little brother.

Serena gave him a squeeze and he managed a small smile.

"Did her blood actually enter your wound?" Dr. Lee asked.

"Come on, of course it did!"

Dean glared at Mark,"We don't know that for sure."

"We can't take a chance." Duane repeated.

Mark nodded in agreement,"You know what we have to do."

"Nobody is shooting my brother!"

"He isn't gonna be your brother much longer." Duane pointed out,"You said it yourself."

"Nobody is shooting anyone!"

"You were gonna shoot me!"

Dean pointed his finger at Duane,"You don't shut your pie-hole, I still might!"

"Hey!" Serena yelled,"You idiots done so we can actually figure out what to do?"

"Dean, they're right." Sam spoke up,"I'm infected; just give me the gun and I'll do it myself."

Dean shook his head,"Forget it."

"Dean, I'm not gonna become one of those things."

"Sam, we still have time." Serena assured him.

"Time for what?" Mark exclaimed,"Look, I understand he's your brother, and I'm sorry, I am. But we gotta take care of this."

Mark pulled out his handgun, and Serena stood in front of Sam, as Dean angrily turned his attention on Mark again.

"I'm gonna say this one time — you make a move on him, you'll be dead before you hit the ground. You understand me? I mean, do I make myself clear?!"

"Then what are we supposed to do?!"

Dean produced his keys from his pocket and tossed them to Mark,"Get the hell out of here, that's what. Take my car. You've got the explosives, there's an arsenal in there. You three go with him." He said, pointing to Dr. Lee, Duane and Serena,"You've got enough firepower to handle anything now. Serena can lead you to the roadhouse."

"Woah, wait, I'm not going anywhere." Serena shook her head, stepping forward.

"Serena, it's too dangerous to stay."

"I am not leaving you and Sam behind. You guys stay, then I do too."

"Neither of you are staying." Sam said assertively,"Go with them. This is your only chance!"

"Sam, we're not leaving you." Serena shook her head. Dean nodded in agreement.

"It's not an option for us, Sammy."

"Oh, now you two agree on something?" The brown-haired boy scoffed,"Perfect timing."

Dean tossed his brother a half-hearted glare,"Don't sass me."

Serena turned towards Mark,"Go, take them out of here."

"Sam's right. You guys should come too."

Serena and Dean simply blinked back at him.

Mark shrugged,"Alright, your funeral."

The man led Duane and Dr. Lee out, but right as they left, Dr. Lee turned back.

"I'm sorry. Thanks for everything, Marshalls."

Serena let out a small laugh,"We're not Marshalls."

"Oh... well, thanks anyway."

Dr. Lee gave them one last nod before closing the door, leaving the three of them alone.

Serena took a seat on a counter,"Anyone have a deck of cards?"

"Left them in my other coat." Dean grimaced.

"Guys, don't do this." Sam cried,"Just get the hell out of here."

"No way."

"Give me my gun and leave."

"Sam," Serena sighed,"For the last time, no. We're not going to leave you."

"This is the dumbest thing you've ever done!" Sam bellowed, knocking an empty beaker onto the floor.

"I disagree," Serena pursed her lips,"I have done plenty of dumb things."

"Me too." Dean nodded,"Remember that waitress in Tampa? Yeesh."

"Too much information, Dean."

He wriggled his eyebrows,"You jealous?"

"Yes. You went to Tampa without me? Dick."

"Give it up, guys."

Serena frowned,"Give what up?"

"This happy, joking act. I'm sick. It's over for me. It doesn't have to be for the both of you."

"No?" Dean asked, folding his arms.

"No, you can keep going."

"Who says I want to?"

"What?"

Dean crossed over to the other side of the room, taking a handgun from the waistband of his jeans,"I'm tired, Sam. I'm tired of this job, this life... this weight on my shoulders, man. I'm tired of it."

"So what, so you're just going to give up? You're just gonna lay down and die? Look, Dean, I know this stuff with Dad has —"

"You're wrong. It's not about Dad. I mean, part of it is, sure, but..."

"What is it about?"

Serena listened intently, her eyes on Dean. She sincerely hoped he was just saying these things to appease Sammy, but there was something about him that told her he was telling the truth and it broke her heart.

She jumped when she heard the knocking on the door. Dean grabbed his gun and moved over to it, waiting until Serena had her gun trained before pulling it open quickly. Dr. Lee was standing there.

"You'd better come see this."

* * *

Serena couldn't believe it. She glanced out through the window again, reminding herself that what Dr. Lee had led them out to see was in fact true.

The place was deserted, completely void of the infected people who had been standing guard outside, waiting for their chance to attack.

The only thing to tell her that they really were in this mess was the sudden appearance of the word 'Croatoan' on a telephone pole. It didn't make sense.

"Well, it's been five hours and your blood's still clean." Dr. Lee said in astonishment,"I don't understand it but I think you dodged a bullet."

Sam gaped,"But I was exposed. How could I not be infected?"

"I don't know. But you're just not. I mean, you compare it with the Tanner samples..." Dr. Lee stared into the next microscope,"What the hell...?"

"What?" Serena asked, moving to stand behind the doctor.

"Their blood. There's no trace of the virus. No sulfur, nothing."

* * *

Dean nodded his goodbye as Duane and Mark drove away from the hospital in the truck they had loaded up. Dr. Lee was planning to head to Sidewinder and contact the authorities whilst Dean, Serena and Sam had nothing more in mind than heading home to get yelled at by Bobby.

"Doc says you're fine. No signs of infection."

Sam shrugged,"Hey man, don't look at me. I got no clue how I'm okay."

"I swear, I'm gonna lose sleep over this one. I mean, why here, why now? And where the hell did everybody go? It's like they just friggin' melted."

"And why was I immune?" Sam added.

"Yeah. You know what? That's a good question. You know, I'm already starting to feel like this is the one that got away?"

Sam made a grunt of agreement and then looked around,"Where's Little Miss Thompson?"

"In the bathroom. I should go get her. You notice she's been acting off lately?"

Sam pursed his lips,"What do you mean? I haven't noticed anything."

"She's just... she's jumpy. Maybe I'm imagining things."

"Well, if something was wrong, she'd tell us." Sam comforted,"It's Serena, she can't hide anything from us."

"I guess. Alright, get in the car, I'll go get Rena."

Sam nodded and Dean walked back into the hospital, heading for the women's bathroom.

* * *

Serena sighed as she braced herself against the sink, staring down at the water as it swirled before disappearing down the drain.

What the hell had happened there would bother her for the foreseeable future, and while she desperately wanted answers, she more so just wanted to leave while they could.

Though she wasn't looking forward to facing Bobby.

Grimacing, she shook her head and happened to glance up at the mirror. She gasped, flying up and whirling around so fast she was anticipating whiplash.

Jeremiah Thompson stood behind her. Blood dripped from the wound in his chest, and from his empty eye sockets. He gurgled as he reached out for her, his mouth twisting and turning to reveal large, silver fangs that didn't belong to any creature she had ever seen.

Serena reached into her pocket for her knife, but it was gone and she had left her gun with Dean.

Running for the door, she tugged on it and remembered she had locked it, and no matter how much she pulled, it refused to open. Backing up against the sink, Serena felt as though the walls were crumbling in on her.

Anxiety flooded through her like a bucket of ice cold water being poured over her head and she screamed.

Her scream reached Dean's ears in a matter of earth-shattering seconds.

"Serena!" He called out, breaking out into a sprint as he ran towards the bathroom. Realizing the door was locked, he broke through it, aiming his gun.

And immediately lowering it. Serena was in the corner, sobbing and shaking with pure fear, with her hands over her face.

Out of nowhere, the glass mirrors exploded and Serena yelped. Dean lunged for her and pulled her to the ground as glass rained down around them, shielding her with his body.

She gripped onto him as though letting go meant she would lose him forever, crying into his chest. Dean wrapped his arms around her tighter and stroked her hair.

"Hey, sh, it's me. Serena, you're okay, it's okay."

Serena let out a sniffle and looked up, locking eyes with him. Dean brushed the tears away with his thumb, tilting her chin up with his finger.

"Sweetheart, what happened?"

"It was right there." She gasped out, her throat hoarse from screaming,"I swear, it was right there."

"I believe you. Serena, you have to tell me what happened. What's been going on with you?"

Serena bit her bottom lip and looked away from him.

"I don't know."

* * *

**So, things are definitely going to start heating up from here. I should be able to update by Saturday, so until then, let me know what you think? And let me know what you think might be happening? I'm always interested to hear your thoughts.**

**~ Megan.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**I know I promised this on Sunday, but it's here now! Let me know what you think. Reviews make me happy and urge me to write more.**

* * *

It had been two days.

Two days since they had returned from Oregon, and two days since Serena had told Dean what was going on. Since then, she had thrown herself into her work, and spent most of her time either submitting her articles or searching for cases. Anything to keep her occupied.

Serena hadn't visited the boys since they had returned, and after the whole Bobby thing, she had been apprehensive about seeing him. It wasn't like he had yelled at her, but her uncle had given her this _look_. She didn't really know how to describe it, but she knew she never wanted to see it again.

But if Bobby thought she would stop hunting just because she was messed up, he was mistaken. Stubbornness ran through the Singer bloodline.

Gina and Levi had been over to try and pull her from her apartment, only to fail, and the only break she had given herself was when Seth dropped by. She always made time for her baby brother.

But as soon as he left, it was back to the laptop.

However, when Dean sent her a text saying he was on his way to her apartment, she didn't bother trying to steer him away. Stubbornness also ran through the Winchester bloodline.

Rubbing her tired eyes, she switched on the coffee maker and shook her head, returning to her seat. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed heavily, massaging her temples before glancing up at the bright laptop screen.

Her latest avenue of research was a seemingly coincidental case. Three victims, each with unexplainable ends. It was a local case too; three residents of Sioux Falls had died in the last week. An eighteen year old boy dropped dead in front of his friends at school, a thirty year old woman was found dead in her apartment, and a sixty-three year old woman died in her sleep despite being perfectly healthy.

Serena had to admit - she had gone on a hunt for less. It was worth a shot.

There was just something about it striking a chord within her, and considering her circumstances, that was a welcomed sign. She had been a hunter long enough to trust her gut.

Serena scrolled down, finding the released picture of the elderly woman, Wilma Banks. The woman's smiling face made Serena smile sadly back, but then it changed. It morphed, the eyes gleaming white with the mouth twisting into a devilish smirk. It creeped the hell out of her and she slammed her laptop closed.

After a few seconds of calming herself down, she slowly opened her laptop again and found that everything was normal. She tugged at her hair. Be it from exhaustion or genuine insanity, she was going crazy. She was sure of it.

Maybe all of the above.

"What happened?"

Serena jumped in fright, seeing Dean standing in the hallway. He was watching her intently as she set a hand over her still hammering heart.

"God, don't do that."

Dean narrowed his eyes, stepping closer and leaning on the back of her chair to look at the screen, his head right beside hers.

"What is this?"

"It's nothing." Serena sighed,"Just a needle in a pile of needles."

Dean glanced at her sideways, concern filling his features as she leaned her aching head against her balled up fist,"Are you okay?"

"Just a headache. I took something for it, but... hasn't kicked in yet."

His eyes narrowed again,"You've been sleeping, right?"

Serena hesitated, and then reached for her empty mug,"Want coffee?"

He straightened up, sending the back of her head a pointed look,"Serena..."

Serena paused, turning around to look at him with a sigh and leaned against the sink,"For the most part."

"And what does that mean?"

"I sleep about two hours a night."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I'm a big girl, Dean."

Dean sighed, his green eyes soft,"What's been keeping you up?"

Biting the inside of her bottom lip, she admitted quietly,"Nightmares..."

"About what?"

"I'd really rather not -"

"Serena, you are dead on your feet. Besides, you knew something was bothering me and you didn't give up. So, c'mon, what are they about?"

"Different things. I keep seeing ... people. Something keeps killing them, and I can't do anything. And then there's... there are some where the people I care about get hurt, and I know, that if my senses weren't the way they are, I could save them. I could save you. Everytime I close my eyes, I see it, Dean. I see you, and Sam..." She took a deep breath, her lower lip trembling,"Something bad is happening here, and I have no idea what it is."

Dean stepped forward and took her into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head as she snuggled into his embrace,"We'll figure this out. You're just stressing yourself. You need sleep."

"Dean, I can't. I'll just wake up worse than I am now."

"No, you won't, because I'll be here." Dean grinned, bending and slipping his arm under her legs. In a split second, he was carrying her bridal style. Serena let out a squeal, and giggled.

"Now, I don't know about you, but I need a nap."

* * *

Dean woke up about three in the afternoon to the sound of his phone ringing. As quietly as possible, he slipped off the bed and made sure Serena was still sleeping before heading into the kitchen and answering Bobby's call.

"Dean, how is she?"

"Sleeping. Looks like she hasn't slept at all. Please tell me you have good news."

"Not exactly." Bobby admitted gruffly,"Finally got in contact with Laurent. He hasn't heard anything like this, but he's calling every one of his contacts, so... all we can do is research and wait for him to get back to us."

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose,"All right. Tell Sam to get some fake FBI badges."

"Why?"

"Serena was researching deaths here in the past week and I think she saw something that freaked her out. She never told me what it was, but anything is important right now. I've never seen her so scared."

"Just take care of her, okay? Right now, you're the only one she seems to talk to."

"Don't worry, Bobby. I've got her." Dean nodded,"I'm gonna call her mother, see if she has any ideas on how to help her. Maybe she can be a distraction while Sam and I go talk to the families."

"Good plan. Let me know how it works out."

"Will do. Bye, Bobby."

Dean sighed and hung up, going through his phone book for Evelynn Singer's phone number. Finally finding it, he waited for the woman to pick up and smiled when she did.

"Hey, Evelynn."

"Dean! It's so nice to hear from you. Serena told me about the whole Croatoan thing. I'm gonna kill you for going out there alone."

Dean couldn't help but grin at the cheery tone of voice Evelynn used even when she was threatening people and said,"Well, if it's not too much trouble, can you postpone my murder? Serena needs your help."

"What? Why? Is she okay? What happened?"

"She's... she's okay. She's not _great_, but she's okay."

"Explain."

Dean complied, going over everything from her being led into a trap by a vampire all the way up to the present,"... and she's stressing herself out. I finally got her to sleep about two hours ago, but she's tossing and turning."

Evelynn paused,"I'm not going to ask how you know what my daughter's sleeping pattern is currently like, and instead focus on the task at hand - has Bobby contacted the other sensitives?"

"Laurent, yes. He's the most reliable source. Laurent's calling up contacts but all we can do is wait. That's why I need your help. Serena has been spending her time researching the recent deaths here, trying to find a connection. She seemed pretty spooked by something when I got here, so Sammy and I are going to check it out." Dean took a breath,"Thing is, if she knows, she's gonna want to come with us, so I was hoping you could be a distraction."

"I'll be over in twenty."

* * *

"This is whose house again?" Sam asked as they pulled up outside the two-storey, semi-detached house. Dean parked the Impala, fixing his tie.

"Wilma Banks's daughter, Michelle Steele's." He answered, reaching into the glove compartment and tossing Sam's fake ID onto his lap,"Let's go, Sammy."

Sam climbed out and followed his brother up the porch, knocking on the front door and smiling politely as the distraught woman appeared at the door.

"Hi, Mrs. Steele." Sam greeted,"My name is Agent Walker and this is my partner, Agent Carlyle. We would like to talk to you about your mother."

"Finally they send someone!" Michelle stepped back, beckoning them into her home,"Please, come in. They finally believe me, then? That something happened to my mother?"

Dean cleared his throat,"What makes you say that?"

"It doesn't make sense." Michelle replied,"The night my mother died, she was fine. We took my kids out for the night, and she was like she always is... was."

"And how would that be?" Dean asked.

"Energetic, excited. My mom was a very bubbly person. She ran marathons, she was in better shape than me... none of this makes any sense."

Dean pursed his lips,"Uh, if it's okay with you, I'd like to ask your kids a few questions. Nothing too harsh, I promise."

"Actually, that would be great. Maybe they'll talk to an official. They're in the kitchen."

Dean nodded, moving passed his brother and heading into the other room. Sam gave him a nod and Michelle motioned for him to sit.

Afterwards, they began the questioning.

* * *

"You know, that's a really pretty princess." Dean called gently to the little girl in pigtails drawing.

The blue eyed five year old lit up,"You think?"

"Of course. I was never any good at drawing. You mind if I join you?"

The little girl nodded and Dean sat across from her, sticking out his hand for the little one to shake,"My name is Dean. What's yours?"

"I'm Lizzy."

"What are you drawing there, Lizzy?"

"That's my family." Lizzy stated matter of factly,"That's mommy, and daddy, and my big sister - her name is Ashley - and my nana."

"It's beautiful." Dean nodded, and then gave her a warm smile,"I'm sorry about your nana."

"Why?" Lizzy frowned,"Mommy says she's an angel now. Angels are pretty."

"That's true." Dean smiled,"So, Lizzy... was your grandmother sick when you were with her last night?"

Lizzy scrunched up her face adorably in thought,"Nope. Nana brought me on the bouncy castle."

"At sixty-three?" Dean muttered to himself,"Impressive."

"Lizzy! I told you not to leave your dolly in the car, I - oh, I didn't know officers were here."

"We're just asking a few questions," Dean stood up,"You must be Ashley."

"Hi." Ashley nodded, setting the doll down on the table.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Dean said sincerely.

"So am I." Ashley glanced forlornly over at a picture on the fridge.

Dean followed her line of sight and spotted a picture of Ashley and her grandmother. Dean walked over to look at it,"You and your grandmother were close."

"Very. Which is how I know something isn't right. It's a... feeling."

"Always trust your gut." Dean nodded,"You didn't notice anything out of the ordinary?"

"I told those cops at the station everything. Nana was fine, and then she was dead. Shouldn't you be investigating already?"

"We are." Dean said patiently,"Ashley, I know what it's like to lose someone you idolized."

"How could you possibly know?"

"I lost my father not too long ago."

Ashley paused,"Oh... I'm sorry. How did it happen?"

"Injuries from a car accident. Supposedly."

"Supposedly." Ashley repeated,"Which means you don't believe it. So, what do you think it was?"

"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure that out." Dean admitted, scratching the back of his neck,"But I know how it feels to have people telling you one thing when you know in your heart it was another. We want to find out what happened to your grandmother, and we will find out. I promise."

Ashley managed a small, appreciative smile,"Thank you. It's just... hard, you know? I feel like my whole world fell apart. I have nobody to talk to anymore."

Dean pulled out a card and handed it to her,"Well, that's not entirely true. If you think of anything, or something happens, you call me, okay?"

The seventeen year old nodded,"Okay."

Dean gave her a supportive smile and a curt nod, and waved goodbye to Lizzy. The little girl followed and tugged on his sleeve, making Dean turn around. Lizzy held out a picture she had drawn while Dean spoke with Ashley, and Dean took it.

"Is this for me?"

Lizzy nodded shyly. Dean smiled and looked at the picture, feeling his blood run cold. Oh, boy...

* * *

"A kid drew that! Like, a little pigtailed five year old!" Dean was in total disbelief as he stared at the picture, moving it around as though it would change.

"That is pretty creepy." Sam agreed, yanking the page from his brother so he could get a good look.

"Oh, it gets worse." Dean wagged his finger,"She said she saw that thing following them, then it disappeared, and she swore she saw it again right before they left. It waved at her. It's that freaky rattata thing all over again!"

"_Rakshasa_." Sam corrected,"Rattata is a pokemon."

Dean waved him off as Bobby snatched the drawing, squinting at it,"Is it possible Lizzy was the only one to see it? It could have been a ghost."

"So, what, the kid can see ghosts?"

"Every child can." Sam nodded,"You remember what Serena told us; '_Everyone can see ghosts up until they stop believing in magic. Where do you think imaginary friends come from?_"

"Well, this ain't no imaginary friend."

"Maybe we should show it to Serena." Sam suggested,"Maybe it isn't an imaginary friend, maybe it is a ghost or something. I know her senses aren't working right, but she's been seeing things, hasn't she?"

"She's been seeing blurred faces." Dean corrected,"And they're usually gone soon after they show up. I don't want to freak her out even more. This stays between us."

"I'm going to go hit the books." Bobby said,"And the liquor."

Sam and Dean watched him go before Dean's phone buzzed, and he took it from his pocket reading the text.

"Evelynn says Serena just fell asleep."

"She's giving you a play by play of the night?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I asked her to." Dean nodded,"I wanted to make sure Serena was okay."

"You know, you seem awfully protective of her lately..."

Dean missed the smirk on his brother's face as he walked away,"So? What's your point?"

"No point. None at all."

* * *

_Thomas Morgan stumbled into his house, waving at the cab driver who had driven him home as he closed the front door. _

_It was passed midnight on his twenty eight birthday, and after spending a night partying with friends, he wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and hope his hangover wouldn't be too bad._

_Thomas staggered into the living room, picking up the bottle of wine he had left there and taking a swig._

_"Happy birthday to me..."_

_"Happy birthday to you..."_

_Thomas froze. That voice wasn't his. The singing continued in its high pitched tone and Thomas set the wine bottle down, figuring he had had one too many._

_"Hello?"_

_"Happy Birthday, dear Thomas..."_

_"Who's there?!"_

_The pitch increased until the words stopped completely, transforming into a steady high pitch frequency. Thomas slapped his hands over his ears, ducking to the ground as every glass item around him broke into a million flying shards._

_Glass rained down around him, covering him in gashes as the jagged edges caught his skin. The noise continued, even as his windows exploded._

_He felt something wet trickle in between his fingers. Pulling his hands from his ears, he stared at the blood in horror._

_"Stop!" He yelled finally, and just like that, everything was quiet. Glass stopped flying, and the voice stopped singing._

_Shakily, Thomas stood up, looking around himself for a moment before bolting for the phone. He dialed for help and tugged the phone to his ear only to realize the wire had been cut. Dropping it, he backed away from the phone slowly as the voices began to sing again, this time slowly._

_He backed straight into something behind him, and gasped as the hands grabbed his head in a vice grip. He could feel the fingers slipping through his skull like butter and screamed._

The evil laughter echoed around Serena's room as she flew up in bed.

_What the hell was that?!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

It was early in the morning when Gina arrived for work after dropping her son off for school. Beth's Books was semi-full of browsing customers, and Gina tossed a polite smile to everyone she passed on her way over to her friend.

"I didn't know you were working here today." She said, stopping beside Serena and setting down a styrofoam cup of coffee beside the younger woman. Finding her working there wasn't out of the ordinary - Serena had been picking up shifts at her grandmother's bookstore since college, but having not seen her out of her apartment for days, Gina was pleasantly surprised.

"Seth's in school, so I'm covering his shift. Chase get off the school okay?"

"Fine." Gina nodded,"He's all excited because he got paired with a pretty girl for a biology assignment."

Serena laughed,"Bet you didn't think you would have to worry about him and girls for another few years."

Gina rolled her eyes,"Yeah, yeah..."

Serena glanced up at her finally and Gina frowned, placing a hand on her hip and giving her a disapproving look,"You look exhausted. Did you even go to bed last night?"

"Yes, I did." Serena promised,"You can even ask my mom. I just didn't sleep too well."

"Were you seeing things again?"

"Not exactly. I just had this dream, and it bothered me." Serena tossed a polite smile to the customer as she handed over the bag and the receipt before grabbing her coffee and taking a long sip.

"Dreams? Serena, the way you described them, they're nightmares."

"Or maybe visions..." Serena trailed off, frowning over at a customer who had a newspaper tucked under his arm. She turned to the computer and brought up the internet.

"What are you talking about?" Gina frowned.

"This." Serena pointed to the screen,"This guy! He was in my dream last night!"

Gina leaned over,"Thomas Morgan, twenty eight, found dead in his home in the earlier hours of this morning. No cause of death listed."

"Oh, there was a cause of death..." Serena ran a hand over her face,"I saw him get killed. It was like I was there. I need to check this out."

"What?"

"It could lead me to answers, Gina. I have to."

"Well, call Sam and Dean. Let them do it."

"They wouldn't know what to look for. I had the dream. Look, it's just a few hours away. I'll be fine."

"But didn't you say Dean was coming into town today? There's no way he'll let you go."

Serena faltered,"We need to think of something."

"We?" Gina exclaimed,"Oh, no, I do not approve of this."

"Gina, this might actually help me in the long run." Serena grabbed her arm and used her puppy dog look on her best friend,"Please, help me, and I will babysit Chase anytime you need me too."

"Well... I would be stupid to turn that down."

* * *

"Why am I here again?" Levi asked, his eyes narrowed in confusion as he watched the scenery pass by, munching down on his curly fries.

"To act as my cover." Serena replied as she drove down the highway,"Gina is going to tell Dean that you had a lecture to give in Aberdeen and since your car can't run more than five minutes without giving out, you called and asked me for a favor."

"I don't have a lecture to give in Aberdeen."

"No, you do not."

"So, why are we going to Aberdeen?"

"Do you even listen when I talk to you?" Serena shot him a look.

"Most of the time, but I downloaded that new bubble shooter game and well, I got distracted..."

Serena sighed, rolling her eyes,"I had a dream that turned out not to be a dream, and now the same guy who was in my non-dream is dead, so we're checking it out."

"So, it's a hunter thing." Levi nodded,"Cool! I've always wanted to come on one of these trips!"

"Yeah, well, I hope you're ready, 'cause I'll need your help." Serena reached into the back and grabbed her purse as they stopped at a red light, rooting through it for two laminated ID cards. She tossed them into Levi's lap,"You are now Agent Fowler."

"Fake ID's? I haven't had one of these since high school!"

"Yeah, well, these ones are better than what you had in high school. I was there, I would know." Serena drawled, laughing slightly.

"So, what happens if we run into real law enforcement? What if they try look us up?"

"Well, usually, if they call our 'superior', they end up talking to Bobby who covers for some hunters - not just the Winchesters and myself - but since we don't want Bobby finding out about this because Dean will be dragging my ass home in five seconds flat if either of them know, it's going to go to Laurent."

"Laurent..." Levi said slowly"He's that guy who taught you about your senses and stuff, right?"

"Mmhmm. He understands, so our secret is safe with him."

"Has he found anything from his contacts yet?"

"Nope, but he's working on it."

Levi nodded, drumming his fingers along the dashboard,"What's Laurent's story, anyway? You were in a car crash, and I get the whole life hanging in the balance, coming back with abilities thing that you had, but what happened with him?"

"He almost drowned as a kid." Serena replied,"Like me, he was in a coma for a few days. His parents put him in a mental hospital after he started sensing things, and he hated them for it. They didn't understand, they didn't even _try_. When he was eighteen, he was released, married a girl he met there, and dedicated his life to being a teacher. Both in a high school, and to fellow sensitives."

"Sounds like he had a rough life."

"Actually," Serena smiled,"He says leaving his parents behind was the best thing to ever happen to him. He's the calmest guy you could ever meet. Likes his zen, and his garden. And his wife is the sweetest."

"How come I've never met him?"

Serena snorted,"Because you'd move in with him, and start wearing a toga."

"I like togas."

* * *

"Oh, my God, an actual crime scene. This is so cool."

Serena grabbed Levi's arm and pulled him back,"Tone down the excitement. You're my FBI partner, not my toddler."

"Sorry." Levi said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck,"Hey, is my tie straight?"

"Perfect. Wanna check your hair too?"

Levi poked out his tongue as they approached the victim's house. Serena flashed her badge to an officer as she passed and Levi copied, not realizing until a moment later that he was holding it upside down. He flushed and fixed it, before following after Serena. The brunette ducked under the yellow crime scene tape and entered the house.

"It's exactly like my dream." She whispered,"Glass and all."

"This place looks like it was trashed." Levi decided, looking around,"And there weren't any other people in your dream?"

"Nope. Just Thomas and our bad guy, and trust me, neither of them trashed this place." Serena stepped over towards the phone and inspected the broken phone line,"This wasn't cut, it was shredded."

"We still have no idea how it got that way." A voice said, making Serena stand up and turn around. The officer shook his head,"Ain't nothing I've ever seen before."

"That makes two of us." Serena nodded,"So, what do we know?"

"Nothing. Nobody even knew there was anything wrong until his girlfriend came over this morning and found him here."

"What about the glass? Wouldn't that have been loud?"

"Neighbors say they heard nothing but him screaming for something to stop. We thought someone had broken in, maybe attacked him, but there's no sign of a struggle, and no signs of forced entry. The front and back doors were actually locked. We're at a loss."

Serena nodded,"What about the girlfriend? Where could I find her?"

"An officer escorted her home after questioning. She's devastated, but not a suspect. Her alibi checks out. You could talk to her, but, nobody has been able to get anything useful out of her."

"Well, my partner and I will give it a shot." Serena nodded, handing over a small notepad,"If you wouldn't mind giving us her address."

* * *

Dean entered Bobby's house later on in the day, running a hand through his short hair. Both Sam and Bobby were out of the house, and when he heard movement in Bobby's office, his hand instinctively moved to the waistband of his jeans, where his gun was.

Slowly approaching the doorway, he relaxed, rolling his eyes,"Seth, what're you doing here?"

The teenager jumped, knocking the glass he had set down on Bobby's desk onto the floor, and slamming whatever book he was reading from closed.

"Aw, damn it!" He cursed, staring down at the mess. Dean grabbed some tissue from the kitchen and stepped over, wiping up the liquid,"It's fine, I got it. Didn't mean to scare you." Dean paused, picking up the still-in-one-piece glass and sniffed it,"Were you drinking bourbon?"

"I just wanted to try it." Seth shrugged, earning a slap to the back of the head.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"I had a half day."

"So, you came here?"

"I know something is up with Rena, and I want to help."

"Which is great, but if she knew you were here, reading the..." Dean picked up the book and raised his eyebrows,"_Pergamum Codex, _and drinking Bourbon, whatever is after her would be the least of your problems."

"But everyone else gets to help! Mom, Gina, even Levi. Meanwhile, I'm just in the corner, being useless while my big sister is going crazy."

Dean sighed, reaching out and setting his hands on Seth's shoulders,"She's not going crazy, and you're not useless. Seth, you're the only one she relaxes around. You're her distraction and she needs that. You may not be involved in the whole hunting thing, but sometimes just being there is the best thing you could do for someone."

Dean then clapped him on the shoulder,"Now, come on. You're seventeen, and you're spending your half day in _Bobby's._"

"Where are we going?" Seth asked, catching his jacket after Dean threw it to him.

"Anywhere we want, Seth."

* * *

**Sorry this wasn't very action packed, but I think a lighthearted chapter every once in a while helps the story in the long run. **

**I know there wasn't any Dean/Serena interaction, but I hope the Serena/Levi, Serena/Gina and Dean/Seth interaction was enough to keep you wonderful readers satisfied for now. **

**And, to everyone who reviewed, thank you so so much! You guys are seriously amazing. Especially when I constantly critisize everything I write, it's a lovely feeling to read your reviews, so please, keep them coming, ha!**

**Also, there was a very, very subtle Buffy reference in that last scene, and if any of you gets it, I will be your biggest fan. I'm kinda having Buffy feels today. It's very emotional.**

**Anyway, I'll stop with the rambling and let you get on with your hopefully great day. See you guys again soon! :)**

**~ Megan.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Wow! 48 follows, 22 faves? Yowza! (Did I just type that? Self-respect has plummeted).**

**Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! **

**And now, I'm not one for touchy-feely moments so, moving on; Here is chapter 12. Hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

"Thank you for talking to us..." Serena smiled politely, taking a seat across from the distraught woman.

Amy Barton nodded slowly, looping a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she clasped her hands in her lap, her eyes puffy and red,"Anything to get answers. I mean, it doesn't make sense. They said it was a suspected heart attack, but... Thomas was a healthy guy."

"But his family does have a history of heart problems, right?" Levi piped up, making Amy nod her head again. Serena's eyebrows rose as she glanced over at her friend, before she shook her head and turned back to look at Amy.

"Well, yeah, but if anything that just made Thomas even more wary. I just don't understand. He was so... happy last night. You know, we were talking about getting married." Amy smiled sadly,"Even went to pick out a ring."

"I'm so sorry." Serena sighed,"I can't imagine. Amy, was there anything that struck you as odd before Thomas's death?"

Amy pursed her lips,"Like what?"

"Like, strange things happening. People acting weird, maybe Thomas was seeing things?"

"No. He was fine." Amy shrugged, and Serena let her shoulders drop in defeat. Then Amy frowned and tilted her head and Levi perked up.

"What is it?"

"Thomas did have nightmares."

Serena raised an eyebrow,"Nightmares?"

"Yeah. They kept him up for hours."

"Did he tell you what happened in these nightmares?" Levi questioned, leaning forward in the seat slightly.

"Not exactly." Amy shifted uncomfortably,"They scared him, and he didn't like to talk about it, but he had them. I heard him scream something one night. I-I think it was a name. Jeremy... Jedediah -"

"Jeremiah?" Serena interjected, her body tensing.

"Yes, that was it!" Amy snapped her fingers,"I asked him about it, but Thomas said he didn't know anyone by that name. Then we forgot about it. Why does it matter that he had nightmares?"

"It doesn't..." Levi trailed off, his concerned eyes watching his friend as she stared at the carpet, lost in her thoughts,"These are just questions we have to ask. Is there anything else you can think of?"

"No. Thomas was fine other than the nightmares. Is your partner okay?"

Levi opened his mouth and closed it again, not really having an answer. He then decided to say,"She's fine. She's just... she gets like this when she's thinking. Genius mind and all."

Amy nodded, and then ran a hand over her face tiredly,"Agents, I'm sorry. It's been a really long day, and it's not even four."

"We understand." Levi nodded, slipping his hand under Serena's arm and pulling her up,"Thank you for your time."

Serena snapped out of her thoughts and gave Amy a small smile before being led out by Levi.

* * *

"Okay, spill..." Levi waited until the waitress had walked away with their order before turning on Serena,"What happened there?"

"What happened where?" She asked evasively, flipping through the copy of the case file. It wasn't much, just a few pages in a manila folder, and it was basically everything that they already knew.

"Back at the girlfriend's house. She mentioned this Jeremiah person and you completely zoned out. Is this a hunter thing? Have your senses come back - are they beeping?"

"They don't beep." Serena rolled her eyes,"And no, my senses are still well and truly MIA. It's just... the first nightmare I had was about Jeremiah Thompson."

"Thompson? Like, _you _Thompson?"

"I don't know." Serena shrugged,"I've been meaning to check that out, but with everything else and then the Croatoan ordeal, I forgot."

"Well, doesn't your mom have that family tree thing in the attic?"

"Yeah, she does." Serena pursed her lips in thought,"First thing when we get home, we check that out."

"And what do we do in the mean time?"

"Talk to the coroner. He was the one to rule it as a heart attack but... maybe there are other things that were conveniently left out."

Levi nodded, his eyes drifting towards the door. They had chosen a booth in the back, and now he was glad they did. His mouth fell open,"We may have a problem getting out of here."

Serena frowned,"Why?"

Levi ducked down lower in the seat,"Don't freak out."

"Already there. What is happening?"

"Okay, very slowly, look towards the door."

With her back pressed against the booth, Serena slowly turned to peek over the edge of her seat and gasped, flying back and closing her eyes.

"No, no, no, this is not happening."

"Why are they here?!" Levi squeaked, his voice in a quick whisper as he quickly scooted over to her side of the booth.

"I have no idea." Serena replied,"Seth has a half-day, I know that, but... of all places, Dean took him here? Why didn't he just take him to a bar? Wait, no, that's not better."

"They haven't seen us."

Serena's eyes widened as she realized Levi was kneeling on the seat, staring over the top. She grabbed his jacket and roughly yanked him down,"Yes, and let's keep it that way."

"Sorry. You think he came here knowing you were investigating?"

"Nah." Serena shook her head,"I doubt he even remembers we were supposed to be here." She paused, sneaking a glance at her little brother and her... Dean.

"I'm gonna call him."

Levi frowned,"Why?"

"To tell him exactly where we are." Serena drawled.

"Seriously?"

"No! I'm going to tell him we're nowhere near here. Now, sh." She rose the phone to her ear and waited to hear the familar sound of 'Smoke on the water' playing. Finally, she heard it and soon after, Dean answered.

"Hey! I was just about to call you."

"You were?" Serena shared an alarmed look with Levi,"What a coincidence. So, what are you up to?"

"Seth and I are having a guy's day."

"Really?"

"Mmhmm, we're in Aberdeen - hey wait, isn't that where Gina said you and Levi were going to be?"

"She said Aberdeen? No, uh, actually, we're in ... Brookings. She must have gotten confused, I-I think Chase might be going on a school trip here - _there_."

She watched as Dean shrugged his shoulders,"Whatever. When are you getting home? Thought we could go out."

"Go out?" Serena echoed, sharing yet another look with Levi, who couldn't help but smirk.

"Yeah, you know. Grab a drink, bite to eat, do anything that's not related to monsters."

"Uh, sure. Sounds great. We'll probably be home later on tonight though."

"Well, how about tomorrow night? My treat. I'll pick you up at eight."

"Sounds good." Serena nodded,"Well, you guys have fun in Aberdeen."

"You too."

Serena gulped,"Right, in Brookings, though." She said quickly, stumbling over her words,"Because, Levi and I are... nowhere near... Aberdeen."

She smacked her hand to her face, trying to ignore the embarrassed blush on her face as Levi tried not to chuckle at her flustered behaviour.

"Right." Dean chuckled,"I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye." Serena hung up quickly, sinking lower in her seat,"Oh, God, how have I survived this long?"

"Beats me." Levi laughed, lowering his body too,"You do realize you have a date with Dean tomorrow night, right?"

"It's not a date."

"Sorry, honey. 'Get a drink, grab a bite to eat, pick you up at eight'? That, my dear, qualifies as a date."

"No it doesn't." Serena denied, and then reached for her jacket,"Come on."

"What? Where are you going?"

"Dean's gone to the bathroom and Seth is stuck in his phone. We want to go, we go now."

* * *

Seth frowned as he stared back down at his phone, having sworn he saw his sister exit the diner. Shaking his head, he pushed the thought away. Serena was in Brookings. It must have been a look-a-like or something.

"What did I miss? Hit on that waitress yet?" Dean asked, sliding back into the seat opposite the teenager.

Seth blushed, glancing over at the red-haired teenage girl behind the counter,"No."

"Why not? Girl's got her eye on you." Dean winked, chuckling as Seth rubbed at the back of his neck in embarrassment. Sometimes the boy really reminded Dean of Sam.

"She lives here. It's three hours away."

"So? It's called long distance, and besides, it doesn't have to be a big thing."

"Are you suggesting I hook up?" Seth asked, raising an eyebrow. Dean grimaced.

"Uh, no. Everything is special and use protection, right?"

Seth laughed,"You'd be a great dad."

"Ah, shut it. Fine, let the opportunity pass." Dean waved off.

"Like you've been doing for the past..." Seth counted off on his fingers,"What, six years?"

"What are you talking about?" Dean frowned.

"You and my sister? I'm seventeen, not oblivious."

"Are you getting at what I think you're getting at?"

"If you think I'm getting at what we all know I'm getting at, then yes, that is what I am getting at."

"Now you're just messin' with me."

Seth rolled his eyes,"You're in love with my sister. Or at least, a heavy like."

Dean blushed red,"Pft. No, I'm not."

"Okay, and I'm a creature from the black lagoon. Oh, I'm sorry, I thought we were lying."

"You know, you really remind me of Sam. Not a good thing right now." Dean wagged his finger in Seth's general direction, before whipping out his blaring phone and picking up,"Speak of the devil."

He could practically hear Sam's pout,"Why am I the devil?"

"No reason. What do you have?"

"Well, I headed to the morgue to check out the three bodies and get this, they all have one thing in common."

"Sammy, are you going to tell me or stand there looking pretty?"

"I'm sitting down."

"Sam!"

"Alright, alright." Sam chuckled,"They all had a tattoo."

"Many people have tattoos."

"Three people with no connection all having the same, identical tattoo?"

"Okay, many people don't have that."

"No." Sam agreed,"And wanna know what's weirder?"

"Preferably."

"These tattoos didn't appear until _after _their deaths. Everyone's stumped. They just appeared."

"This guy is branding his victims?"

"Apparently. I'm sending you a picture. Hold on."

Dean waited for the chime of the text message to sound before pulling his phone back from his ear and opening up the picture.

He tilted his head, frowning in confusion at the image. Seth scooted over to take a look for himself.

"What is that? Is that a bird?"

Dean shook his head and rose the phone back to his ear.

"Sam? Get the picture to Bobby. See what he has to say. We're on our way home."

* * *

"Agent Fowler. Agent Carlyle." The Coroner, Dr. Finstock nodded politely as he shook their hands,"I wish we could have met on better terms."

"Feeling's mutual." Serena nodded,"What do we got?"

"Well," Dr. Finstock motioned for them to step into the autopsy room,"As you know, Mr. Morgan was brought in earlier this morning, and due to the sudden nature of his death, I carried out the autopsy earlier than I usually would."

"And what did you find?" Levi asked, fully enjoying his 'agent' status,"Report says a suspected heart attack?"

Dr. Finstock extended his hands and shook his head helplessly,"That's all I can come up with. There are no other signs or symptoms. It's like his heart just gave out."

"And other than it being completely out of character for a healthy twenty-something-year old to drop dead of a heart attack, was there anything else odd?" Serena asked.

"There was." Dr. Finstock nodded, pulling the crisp white sheet that covered the body of Thomas Morgan down to his stomach, revealing the small black inking on his chest, right below where his heart would be.

"Thomas Morgan didn't have any tattoos. This was applied postmortem."

The image sent a shiver through Serena's body. It depicted two birds, one a dove and the other a raven. The raven was swooping down, its claws gripping the feathers of the dove as it carried it off. Peering closer, Serena glanced between the intricately detailed extended wings of the raven, grabbing the large magnifying glass and wheeling it closer to the cold, silver table. Angling it right, she blinked.

"Is that a B?"

Dr. Finstock moved to look at what she was staring at and nodding, he spoke,"I believe so. I didn't catch that before."

Serena stepped back, sucking in her lips and pulling out her phone,"May I?"

"Go ahead." Dr. Finstock allowed and Serena snapped a picture before pocketing her phone.

"Thanks for your help." She gave him a smile,"We'll keep you posted."

"Thank you. God knows I have no idea what's going on here."

* * *

"Have you ever had a demon tattoo its victims before?"

Serena shook her head, turning down towards the indoor parking lot. Night had fallen, and they were forced to head back to Sioux Falls and continue their search there. Tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for the elevator doors to open and lead them into the parking lot, Serena blew out a breath.

"It's definitely new."

"Maybe you should tell Sam and Dean about what you found? Any information is important, right?"

"And I will, but first, I'm gonna see what I can find out first before they literally lock me in Bobby's basement to keep me safe."

"Why in Bobby's basement?"

"He's got like a panic room down there. Full of demon traps, and weapons."

Levi nodded,"Naturally. What else would someone have in their basement?"

Serena laughed, letting him step out of the elevator first. Levi turned to say something, only to get knocked to the ground. Serena rushed out after him and almost ran right into the demon. She gasped and threw her arm up, blocking the punch sent her way.

The demon acted quickly, slamming Serena back against the concrete wall and throwing her down beside Levi.

"You okay?" Serena winced, pulling herself up. Levi nodded,"Think I'll stay here for a while."

Serena brushed herself off, turning back to face the sneering demon,"Well, that was rude."

"Sorry, I never was one for being polite." The demon growled, lunging for her. Serena blocked the hit again, her other fist connecting with the demon's nose.

"Clearly. You're a _demon_." Serena rolled her eyes,"You know, I really thought we were done with the whole random attacking thing."

The demon grabbed onto Serena's arm and twisted it behind her back."Expect the unexpected. Isn't that what you humans say?"

"We say a lot of things." Serena grunted, elbowing the demon in the side. The force made the demon let go of her arm, and Serena cradled it against her chest.

Wincing, she shook it out and gasped when something grabbed her from behind. The new guy's hand wound around the front of her neck and squeezed, lifting Serena's body off the ground and flinging her body into the an unfortunate SUV. Serena landed on the hood of it with a painful thud, and the male demon stood over her as she tried to pull her body up. Grabbing her around the throat again, he slammed her head backwards, smashing through the windshield. Serena's hands moved from the demon's to her face, covering it from being slashed up by the glass. She felt a searing pain in her forehead and knew she had been cut. Blood trickled down her face and glancing to the side, she noticed that Levi was being pinned down by the female.

She struggled to breath and realizing she couldn't grab her daggers from her boots, she did the next best thing and went against the screaming of her lungs by speaking as best as she could.

"_Exorcizamus te, Omnis Immundus Spiritus, Omnis Satanica Potestas, Omnis Incursio Infernalis Adversarii, Omnis Congregatio et Secta Diabolica, Ergo Draco Maledicte, Ut Ecclesiam Tuam Secura, Tibi Facias Libertate Servire, Te Rogamus, Audi Nos!"_

The grip around her neck loosened as the demon's body went slack and fell to its knees, alongside the blonde-headed bitch. Their mouths fell open and thick black smoke poured out, floating away through the vents. Serena lay her head back against the cracked part of the windshield and heard the sound of Levi getting up. He stopped beside her.

"You okay?"

"Fine." Serena nodded, reaching up to feel the blood. She stared at the red liquid and sighed,"Or maybe not."

Wiping the blood on her jeans, she accepted his hand and pulled her aching body from the car, looking around as Levi bent down beside the bodies.

"No CCTV cameras." Serena noted,"That's good. Impractical, but good."

"They're dead." Levi announced in a quiet voice.

"Not surprising. They've probably been possessed for weeks." Serena said, her voice equally as quiet,"Come on, let's get out of here before someone shows up."

Levi nodded and stood up, the two friends heading towards Serena's car.

"Hey, Rena?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad I'm not a hunter. I don't think I could deal with that on a daily basis."

Serena patted his arm,"Sometimes I feel the exact same way."

* * *

Later on that night, after dropping Levi home, Serena took a deep breath before entering Bobby's home. She had cleaned herself up, but the bandage over her eyebrow and the bruising around her neck were dead giveaways that she had gotten herself into trouble.

Bracing herself, she stepped inside, closing the door behind herself.

"Hey! Why do I feel like I haven't seen you in forever?" She heard Sam exclaim and grimaced, turning around to face his puppy-dog eyes.

"Oh, my God, what happened?!"

Dean was by her side in a second, taking in her appearance. He wordlessly tipped her chin up to inspect the bruises on her neck.

"It's okay. I'm fine, really."

"You were attacked? Why didn't you call? When did it happen? Was it when you were in Brookings? What -"

"Dean," She said pointedly,"I'm fine. And... I was never in Brookings."

"What? What does that even mean? What are you saying?"

"Is that Serena?" Bobby's voice called from his office, distracting the three of them. The man rushed out, waving his arms around excitedly.

"Laurent just called! He thinks he has something - What the hell happened to you?"

Serena shook her head,"What did Laurent say?"

"Oh, no, that can wait." Dean shook his head, his look disapproving,"I think you should tell us where you were all day instead."

Serena looked from Dean's angry green eyes, to Sam's concerned hazel ones, to Bobby's mixture-of-the-two blue eyes and sighed.

_Oh, this was going to be fun..._

* * *

**Poor Serena. Long night ahead of her, huh?**

**Well, there you go! Chapter twelve! And it was extra long too. Hopefully this chapter will get some reviews. We've been kinda lacking guys *hint hint*.**

**Well, anyway, I should have another chapter up in a few days. See you guys soon! **

**~ Megan.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

It was like deja vu.

Sitting on the counter in Bobby's house whilst Dean cleaned her wounds, an angry look on his face as he concentrated, Serena was reminded of sitting on the bar at the Harvelle Roadhouse after she had been attacked by that vampire. Except, Dean was a little angrier this time.

She could feel the tension of his body against hers, and tried not to blush at the close proximity. He was pissed and she shouldn't have been focusing on how his fingertips danced across her skin, or how her legs were resting by his sides as he had settled himself between them.

After explaining where she had been, she had gotten three different reactions from the three men. Bobby had been pissed at her for running herself into danger without stopping to think _again_, Sam was worried but understanding - something she appreciated (at least he took the time to look at it from her perspective) - and Dean had been quiet, which to her was the worst possible reaction she could get from him.

He refused to look at her. Bobby had gone off to do research on whatever Laurent had told him (the same _whatever _she had yet to be informed of) and Sam had gone to help. Dean had grabbed her arm and tugged her into the kitchen, where they were now.

"So, this awkward silence is great and all, but aren't you going to kill me?"

"Considering it." Dean replied, his tone monotonous.

"Well, could you do it soon, 'cause I'm going crazy here."

"You're going crazy?" Dean scoffed, finally locking eyes with her,"How do you think I'm going? You lied to me, Serena. You went _searching _for the same creep that is traumatizing you, and you got hurt. But you still won't learn from it? Next opportunity you get, you'll be running your ass into trouble again."

"Dean, just because I got hurt doesn't mean I have to give up hunting. It's a dangerous job, you _know _that."

"Serena, your life is in danger! Do you not understand that? We barely have an idea of what we're dealing with here. This guy wants to kill you. You could _die_!"

"I know that!" Serena yelled back, pushing him back and sliding off the table. She paced, running a hand through her hair and taking a deep breath to stop the tears. Slowly, she turned back to look at him.

"Dean, I've seen this guy. I've seen what he does, I've _experienced _what he does. If anyone understands that _my _life is in danger, it's me!" Serena lowered her voice,"But I can't give up hunting because of him. I refuse to hide away. I'm a damsel, I'm in distress, but I'm not some little princess that needs to be protected. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can -"

"Do you?"

"Yes, I do." Dean stated firmly,"You're one of the strongest hunters I've ever known with or without your senses."

"So why are you so intent on keeping me on the sidelines? Come on, give me one reason and I'll forget about it." Serena tapped her foot impatiently, her eyebrow raised expectantly.

"One reason?"

"Just the one."

"I lost my father. I lost my mother. Heck, with Sam's psychic thing, I could be losing my brother too all because of _one_ demon. And I am not about to lose someone else that I love when I can stop it!"

The silence hung heavy in the air as Serena's anger disappeared. She swallowed thickly, her lips slightly parted as her eyebrows drew together. Dean was standing in front of her, looking more vulnerable than he had ever looked. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Dean, I -"

"No. No, just... just forget about it. You're right. I shouldn't be keeping you on the sidelines. From now on, we can work together and I won't protest about any of it." He waved his hands in front of him as though he was waving off the entire situation and turned, heading for the door.

"Dean!" Serena called out after him, only to falter when he disappeared into the night. She sucked in her lips and ran a hand over her face, leaning back against the kitchen wall and letting her head fall back.

_Okay, I'm officially an idiot..._

* * *

"Hey, it's me."

"I got that." Serena said quietly,"I have caller ID."

"Why are you so bad moody?"

Serena sighed,"Sorry, Levi. I'm just tired. What's up?"

"I did some research."

Serena frowned, sitting forward in the kitchen chair,"Why and what for?"

"Your ancestry."

"Oh! Right! What did you find?"

"Serena Thompson, you are the great-great-great-great-whatever granddaughter of Jeremiah Thompson."

Serena sighed, grumbling softly beneath her breath,"_Great_..."

"So, what does this mean? Is it a family thing?"

"I'm not sure." Serena replied,"I mean, it could be, but wouldn't I have heard something about it before now?"

"Beats me. How are you feeling by the way?"

"Little sore. You?"

"I have a bruise."

Serena laughed; she could practically hear the pout through the phone,"Aw, poor Levi."

Someone cleared their throat behind her and she glanced behind herself, over her shoulder to meet Sam's eyes. He gave her a small smile and she held up a finger, returning the smile.

"Listen, Levi, I gotta go, but thank you for checking it out. And thanks for coming with me today."

"You're welcome, dear friend. I'll see you tomorrow."

Serena smiled warmly,"Bye." She quickly hung up and allowed her eyes to follow Sam's figure as he joined her at the table, taking a seat beside her.

"How's your head?"

Serena shrugged,"Five by five."

"I uh, I heard you and Dean talking..."

Serena's eyes slowly widened before they closed again and she took a deep breath, resting her head against her fist as she played with her phone,"Oh. Yeah. Not exactly the best part of my day."

"You know he didn't mean to yell. He was just -"

"Upset." Serena nodded,"I know. I was stupid. I shouldn't have pushed him like that."

"No, actually, that was probably a good decision."

Serena arched an eyebrow,"Honey, how much did you actually hear?"

"Dean's stubborn." Sam chuckled,"That's all I'm saying. Sometimes he does need the push, otherwise he'll keep it all bottled up and it'll never come to light. That's kinda where you two have things in common."

Serena gave him a glare,"Oh, hush." She nibbled the inside of her bottom lip,"You think he hates me now?"

"No." Sam said immediately,"He's not angry because he hates you, Serena. He could never hate you."

"I just didn't _think. _I was so focused on finding this son of a bitch, I forgot about everything else. I knew he was worried but I didn't think was -"

"Scared?"

Serena shifted in her seat uncomfortably,"Yeah. A scared Dean Winchester isn't something I'm used to."

"I don't think it's something anyone is used to." Sam shrugged,"He's always so confident. But it's all an act. Look, I know you're all super girl, and I would never dream of asking you to stop hunting, but... can you just try not to sneak away? I don't know when we all suddenly stopped working together, but we need to start again. Just... do it for his sake."

Serena smiled softly and nodded. Sam reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder,"You two will be okay. Just talk to him."

"When did you get so wise?"

Sam chuckled, and reached up, pretending to flip imaginary hair from his face,"Well, I did go to Stanford."

"Nerd." Serena snorted, poking out her tongue. Sam pulled a face and stood up.

"Well, this genius is tired, so goodnight." Sam bent down and kissed her cheek, giving her a brotherly hug,"I'm glad you're okay."

Serena hugged him back,"Goodnight, Sammy."

* * *

"Damn books. Where did I put it?" Bobby growled, pushing some of the open books on his desk out of the way in search of something.

He grunted, and sat back, rubbing his tired eyes with the back of his hand before speaking gruffly,"You gonna stand there and look pretty or are you goin' to talk to me?"

"Depends. How mad at me are you?"

Bobby glanced her way,"Fifty percent lower than I originally was."

Serena considered it and nodded, accepting that figure and she took a step further into the room,"I was gonna head home but you still haven't told me what Laurent said."

Bobby motioned for her to take a seat and she complied, eagerly awaiting what he had to tell her.

"Sam went to see the bodies of the three Sioux Falls victims earlier today and he found something." Bobby rooted through the books and finally pulled out a printed out picture, handing it to her.

Serena gasped, immediately pulling out her phone and showing him the picture she had taken of the tattoo,"I've seen this. It was on the body of Thomas Morgan. Does Laurent know what it is?"

"One of his old contacts does. About forty years ago, this guy was hunting this same demon, but he never caught him. The only thing he did get was this tattoo, but he too had a contact."

"So, why aren't we talking to him?"

"He died shortly after telling the hunter what he knew. Sudden cardiac arrest."

Serena rolled her eyes,"Our guy's trademark."

"Yeah, well, it turns out it isn't his only trademark. This tattoo is his mark. Like his 'So and so was here'. It represents him and what he does."

"Explain-y?"

Bobby took a deep breath, pouring himself a shot of Jack,"The raven is swooping down and catching the dove. In most cultures, the raven is a symbol of death."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Well, in the Bible, the dove is also a symbol of one's spirit. One's soul."

"So, the tattoo is showing the death of one's soul? Or the capture?"

"Something along those lines. And the B, well that's his initial. Brax."

"Brax..." Serena tested the name on her tongue, glad to finally put a name on her nightmare,"Well, what does this Brax do?"

"You've heard of crossroads demons, right?"

"Yeah. They show up, they grant you a wish in return for your soul and they come and collect ten years later. So, what? You're telling me that all these victims made deals?"

"No. That's where it gets complicated."

"I see that."

"This guy makes different deals. He's not a crossroads demon."

"Okay, so what_ does_ he do?"

"He makes a deal with a member of a family. But, instead of taking the soul of that person, he makes the family pay for that person's greed. Every generation, someone dies. Sometimes it skips, other times it's consistent, but the deaths are usually explained away as..."

"Undetected heart defects?" Serena asked,"The Thompson family has a history of them. That's our needle in the haystack. So what happens after these deals are made?"

"He comes back and collects the souls of future generations. Hunters have tried to stop him, but they have never been able to. He's too good at hiding himself, covering his tracks."

"And the people who make these deals? Do they know the consequences?"

"Yes." Bobby nodded.

"And they still make them." Serena snorted bitterly,"Blood only runs so deep, huh? Okay, we know who he is and we know what he does. What we don't know is _where _he is and _what _he's going to do next. Does Laurent's contact even know how to kill him?"

"No. He said we would need someone on the inside."

Serena frowned,"On the inside? Like, someone who would fit in with demons?" She pursed her lips, conveying an innocently nonchalant look,"Like say, another demon?"

"Yes. You have someone in mind?"

Serena smirked, sitting back in her seat.

"I guess Laurent isn't the only one with contacts..."

* * *

**Boom! Chapter 13! I hope you guys enjoyed it. I decided to add a Sam/Serena scene as well as a Bobby/Serena scene because those two have been lacking in involvement lately.**

**Anyway, let me know what you think, and thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Special thanks to;**

superfan15

Morgan Elizabeth Jacobs

Wandringstar

squidgy78

Voiceless Angel

poisedrose

and last but by no means least

Eminemchick92399

**All of your reviews made me smile, so thank you! Next chapter should be up by Friday (which coincides with my first day back at school, so review some more and cheer me up)**

**- Megan**


	14. Chapter 14

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**I'm sorry this is late, but here you go, friends!**

* * *

Serena took a deep breath before pushing open the door of the local bar and entering, her eyes scanning the small crowd for the man she was looking for. A measly, scrawny little thing that kept to himself and didn't draw attention.

Her eyes landed on a booth in the back, where she could vaguely see an outline of a face peeking out from the shadows. It all felt very double-agent, as she did a quick scan of the bar to make sure there were no eyes on her before making her way to the back booth and sliding in across from the man.

_His _eyes followed her every move, a slight smirk on his face as she sat down across from him.

"You summoned?"

Serena bent forward, resting her elbows on the table,"I need your help."

"I got that. You're not exactly one for social calls. What is it? Need me to take care of a witch."

"_Please_," Serena laughed,"It would be the other way around, Milton."

"Always has been." Milton grinned,"Always found that funny. A hunter saving a demon's ass."

"Not all demons are bad." Serena shrugged,"Like you, for instance - I mean, I had a dog that was scarier than you."

Milton rolled his eyes,"Want my help or not?"

Serena giggled,"You know I'm teasing."

"So, anyway, what's going on?"

"I'm being hunted. This guy's already killed a good few people. It's a demon named Brax. You know the guy?"

"Know him? I used to work for him. Right up until you found me three years ago, actually."

Serena's eyes widened,"That's who you're on the run from?"

"Same guy." Milton nodded,"If Brax knows where I am, he will kill me, and I like living. Look, Serena, if you were anyone else, I'd say you were on your own."

"So... you'll help me?"

Milton gave her a smile and nodded once,"What do you want to know?"

"Well, I know that he takes souls, and I know he works in generations. But that's it. We don't know anything else. That's where you come in."

"You want me to scout him out, don't you?" Milton summarized,"Fine. Done. But Brax is tricky. He never stays in one place. He attacks on birthdays."

"I noticed." Serena nodded.

"Yeah? Well think about how many people are on this Earth. That's a lot of birthdays."

Serena grimaced, leaning back in the booth,"Why birthdays anyway? What's it got to do with anything?"

"Nothing really. But he comes for the descendants when they reach the age of the ancestor when he or she first made the deal. If someone makes a deal at the age of thirty, their child, or niece, or nephew gets the _wrong_ end of the deal soon after their thirtieth birthday. Get it?"

"I get it. So, there's no reason for it?"

Milton shrugged,"I guess it's just easier to keep track of his victims. You said _you _were being hunted, didn't you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"It's not Brax's style. He likes to drive his victims crazy, yes, but that's usually a couple of days before their deaths. When is your birthday?"

"November 17th."

"And it's May." Milton reminded her,"May 25th. It's way too early, so why has he changed his MO?" Milton asked, more to himself than anything. The demon snapped his fingers,"I'll see what I can find out, then I'll drop by."

Serena nodded,"Thank you. Oh, and... could you find out what happened? With my family? How we got sucked into this?"

Milton hesitated,"Some things are better left hidden in the dark."

"Please?" Serena urged. Milton reached over and squeezed her shoulder softly.

"Anything for a friend."

* * *

"You called a demon for help?" Gina asked the next day as she and Serena sat on a bench in the park after picking up Chase from school. He had football practice, and it was the perfect spot for Serena to access the Thompson family files as City Hall was right across the street, as was Beth's Books.

Serena nodded, rooting through the large cardboard box between the two women. Gina frowned in confusion.

"I thought you hunted demons."

"I do."

"But you also occasionally team up with them."

Serena grimaced, nodding noncommittally,"On a rare occasion. I met Milton years ago on a case in Kansas. I was in Lawrence, and I ran into these demons who were beating some poor guy senseless. So, I fought them and some of them ran off but I could sense a demon around. It was then I realized what Milton was."

"But you didn't kill him?"

Serena shook her head,"He didn't try to attack me. Gina, he _hugged_ me. Kept thanking me. It would have felt wrong to kill him after that. He's kept out of trouble, but he knows that if he hurts someone, he'll have me to deal with, and I don't think he wants that."

Gina laughed,"I'm sure no demon wants you after them. Or the Winchesters. And if it's all three, _oh boy_..."

Serena laughed too, and Gina asked,"So, how are the Winchesters? Levi told me they found out about Aberdeen."

"They're... they're fine. Sam was more worried than angry."

"And Dean?"

"Dean hasn't talked to me in two days." Serena admitted,"Sam has, Bobby has, but Dean... nada, zip, zilch - the big goose egg."

"Nothing at all."

"Well, there was that blow-out on the night I came home."

"You guys got into a fight? I'm sorry."

"No, actually. It made me realize how selfish I was being. Sometimes I forget that there are people who care about my well-being."

"_Yes,_ there are." Gina wagged her finger,"I keep telling you that but do you listen?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Serena needs to listen to people, blah, blah, blah."

Gina laughed, glancing down at the cardboard box,"So, find anything interesting?"

"Interesting is not the word for it..." Serena said, pulling out pages and handing them to Gina,"When you know what happened, it's easier to connect the dots. I mean, when I was six, my dad's cousin died on the night of her twenty-fifth birthday from an undiagnosed heart defect, and it was the same the generation before that and before _that._ We knew dad's family had heart problems, but how did nobody find this weird?"

Gina shrugged,"Nobody wants to see the truth, Rena. Once there is something to blame, that's all people care about."

"Apparently." Serena hummed in agreement,"I can't believe this was here all along..."

Her phone began to ring then, and she grabbed for her purse which she had stashed behing the box, finding the ringing device and answering her uncle's call.

"Yeah, uncle Bobby?"

"Are you busy?"

"No, I'm with Gina."

"Come to my house. I was talking to Laurent, and we need to talk."

* * *

"Bobby?" Serena called into the quiet house, waiting for an answer.

"In here!" Bobby called from his office and Serena rolled her eyes at her own foolishness. Where else would he be?

She walked inside and flopped onto the couch, resting her arm on the back of the couch and leaning against it.

"What do we need to talk about? Oh God, am I in trouble again? Whatever it was, I didn't do it."

"You're not in trouble." Bobby shook his head,"What did the demon guy say?"

"_Milton_ used to work for Brax. Brax is actually the demon he was running from. He said that attacking me months in advance isn't his usual MO, and he's gonna find out what he can and get back to me. Now, I gave you information, gimme mine. What did Laurent say?"

Bobby sat back in his chair, running a hand over his face and stretching,"Laurent thinks he can help you get your senses back."

Serena bolted upright on the couch,"What?"

"He's not sure, but he's found some things that might help us. Remember how we trained you to use your senses?"

Serena nodded.

"Well, Laurent thinks that by tweaking the methods, he can train you back into them. Your flight leaves tonight."

"I'll go pack." Serena nodded, getting up to exit the house.

"Serena, that's not all..."

Serena had just made it to the archway into the kitchen when a body planted itself in front of her. Dean leaned against the wall, his arms folded over his chest.

"I'm coming with you."


	15. Chapter 15

**Saving Souls**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**I seem to be apologizing a lot lately, but I promise, updating this late is through no fault of my own. I blame life, and it's monumental suckishness.**

**Also, my French teacher would be proud, I added some French dialogue at the end of the chapter (translation is in brackets beside it). I figured if Serena and Dean were going to Paris (the city of love, wink, wink), there should be some French going on.**

**And again, another also, I am not French. I am Irish, and I can barely speak **_**that**_**, so I did my best, but I'm not promising anything.**

* * *

"You don't have to do this. You don't have to come with me."

Dean huffed in reply, hauling Serena's suitcase out of the back of the Impala, and shutting the trunk, going through some list he had brought with him - probably something to do with flight times, Serena deduced idly, folding her arms over her chest.

"I'm perfectly capable of going by myself..."

Nothing.

Serena whined, stomping her foot childishly as she grumbled,"Is this seriously how it's going to be? Is that your plan - to ignore me for the rest of our lives?" A pause. "Dean!"

His eyes flitted to hers, and he blinked at her, pursing his lips but remaining silent. Serena scoffed and grabbed the handle of her suitcase, storming off into the airport and completely missing the small smirk that appeared on Dean's face.

He wasn't so angry at her anymore, having had time to think. Still upset about her recklessness, but no longer mad. He was just letting her suffer for a little while. He'd talk to her soon. Maybe.

He grabbed up his things and followed her inside, where they went through all the airport shenanigans they had to, and then took a seat beside her as they waited for their flight to be called over the tannoy system. She turned in her seat so she was facing more towards the window, her back leaning against his arm. It was early - so early that the airport was relatively empty, and the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon. Serena shifted so she could pull her beloved red iPod nano from her pocket and stick her ear buds in, her hair draping across his shoulder with their close proximity. He noticed her tapping her fingers along her jean clad thigh and listened closer, smiling as he heard her humming the beginning of 'You Shook Me All Night Long' by ACDC. He remembered back to their days of driving around during the summer, just the two of them.

They had been in the Impala, where Serena decided to take charge of the music selection, something Dean only allowed on rare occasions. She had found his ACDC CD and popped it on, having never really listened to the band. It was love at first listen.

'You Shook Me...' seemed to be her favorite song, and Dean smirked, allowing himself to wonder why. He heard her yawn, and then felt her nestle her head closer to him. Dean moved so her head was against his chest, and draped his arm around the back of her chair. She was already asleep, allowing him to take a good look at her.

Dark circles stood out against pale skin, despite Serena's attempt at covering them with concealer. There was a slight flush to her cheeks, and Dean figured she was too warm in her jacket, though didn't dare wake her up to ask her. He knew she would move away from him, _and _he knew she needed the rest. He ran his hand over his face, and took out his phone, ready to pass the time by playing a game on his phone, and keeping the girl close to his body for the time being.

* * *

Serena leaned her head back against the chair, clucking her tongue and blowing out an impatient breath as they waited for take-off. Dean had woken her up about a half hour before, and other than the embarrassment of waking up practically on his lap (and the added awkwardness of the old married couple who had mistaken them for honeymooning newlyweds), the tension had lessened quite a bit.

At least now Serena knew the reason he was so on edge wasn't because of her - not for the moment.

"I told you that you didn't have to come with me."

Dean just glared at her, his knee jumping up and down out of nervousness. Serena laughed, reaching over and placing a hand on his knee to stop him - only to watch his other knee start bouncing. She reached across and placed her other hand on his other knee.

"Okay, fine, I'll stop." He grumbled, just after her back had begun cramping from the angle she was at. She straightened up, though kept a hand on the knee nearest her, noticing his clammy forehead, and how he gripped the armrests so tight that his knuckles were white.

Serena searched her brain for something to say to make Dean feel better, but came up short. Like Sam had said, a scared Dean was something anyone rarely experienced. Instead, she removed her hand from his knee, and it immediately continued bouncing, and she instead took the hand that had begun tapping off the armrest. Dean's eyes found hers, and she smiled, sitting back in her seat, with their hands joined inconspiciously between her leg and his. When the plane began take off, he squeezed her hand and she squeezed back, trying not to smirk when he jumped at every rumble and sound.

"Shut up." He snapped, whilst she tried to hide her laughter behind her palm. She shrugged innocently.

"Didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it."

* * *

"Oh, mon petit Serena!" _(Oh, my little Serena!) _Laurent exclaimed upon seeing her at the arrivals gate, coming over to wrap her in a hug.

Serena beamed, having not seen her mentor in years and hugged him back tightly,"Laurent, je vous manqué! Comment allez-vous?" (_Laurent, I missed you! How are you?)_

"Inquiet. Bobby a tout expliqué sur le téléphone. Êtes-vous d'accord?" _(Worried. Bobby explained everything on the phone. Are you okay?)_

Serena shrugged lightly, giving him a small smile,"Comme bien que possible." _(As well as possible.)_

Laurent nodded, pressing a fatherly kiss to her head. His eyes went to Dean, and he grinned, his eyes going to Serena again,"C'est Dean, je suppose?" _(This is Dean, I suppose?)_

Serena nodded,"Oui." _(Yes)_

She turned, beckoning Dean closer to her and grinning,"Dean, this is Laurent. Laurent, this is Dean."

Dean shook Laurent's hand,"Uh, hi - no, wait, bonjour?"

"Relax, son." Laurent laughed,"I speak English. French is just fun. How was the flight?"

"Long." Serena complained, looking around,"Where's Sally?"

"At home, cooking you two dinner."

Serena sighed,"She didn't have to."

"You know how Sally is." Laurent smiled fondly,"Always has to make a fuss. Come on, you two look beat. Sally is insisting you stay with us."

"Bobby booked us into a hotel already. I don't want to put you guys out anymore than I already am."

"Serena -"

"No." Serena gave him a look that told him not to question her, before beaming and flouncing off towards the exit.

Laurent took that moment to lag behind and speak to Dean,"How's she holding up?"

"Not sleeping. Barely eating. She's been out of whack since before the attacks began happening."

Laurent nodded,"I can't imagine..."

Dean frowned,"Can't imagine what?"

"Losing my senses. Senses are much more than a side-effect of a near death experience, Dean. They become a part of who you are. To lose them so suddenly... it's like losing your identity. Like waking up with amnesia, except still remembering who you are, but knowing something is missing inside of you. If I was in her position, I would be desperate for answers, no matter how stupid my way of going about things was."

Dean pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes suspiciously,"You've spoken to my brother, haven't you?"

Laurent smirked,"_Sam est un homme sage et rationnelle, et vous ... vous êtes trop amoureux pour penser droit._"

Dean frowned as Laurent hurried off after Serena, who had quickly gotten involved in a conversation with a cab driver outside. It made Dean smile, seeing how excited and happy it made Serena to be in Paris, but Laurent's words were still throwing him off.

"Wait - I don't know what that means!"

* * *

**Brownie points for anyone who can tell me what that means.**

**And extra brownie points if someone can tell me when Sherlock (Benedict and Martin version) is coming back. Unrelated, I know - but equally as important.**

**- Megan.**


	16. Chapter 16

Saving Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

So, so, sorry about the wait. My laptop had a bit of trouble (it got a virus and had to be completely wiped, therefore came back as a completely new computer that didn't have any of my previously saved files). But, nevertheless, it's back in action, therefore, so am I. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Serena couldn't hide her delight when greeted by Sally. The exuberant blonde woman with the kind, gentle eyes wasted no time in pulling the short brunette into a tight hug, fussing over her whilst Dean and Laurent got their luggage from the back of the jeep.

Once Dean appeared, planting himself beside but slightly behind Serena, Sally's attention shifted to the oldest Winchester, quickly moving to pull him into one of her bear hugs. Serena watched Dean freeze awkwardly before hugging the woman back, turning on his charm and having Sally giggling in seconds. Laurent beckoned Serena inside, allowing his wife to show Dean around.

Laurent headed into the kitchen, sending a look towards the door to the basement, knowing Serena was itching to go downstairs. She had spent a good amount of her time down there when she had first been sent to Laurent, and with a grin, she threw open the door and took the steps two at a time.

It was exactly the same as it had been left, though the obvious sign of zero coats of dust told Serena it had been maintained and taken care of in her absence. Perhaps even used once or twice. There was a treadmill in the corner, facing a counter that held a small television and a radio, underneath it, a mini fridge. A punching bag hung in the center of the room, and various other weights, and other exercise equipment was set into different, allocated corners. It was Serena's training room.

She heard the door creak above her and glanced up, seeing Dean. His eyes swept the room before landing on her, and he smirked, nudging her with his arm as he walked by her, towards the punching bag.

"This your set-up?"

"Partially." Serena nodded, plopping down onto a couch by the far wall,"Sally finally let you go?"

"Only to go make lunch. I gotta say; I'm liking it here."

Serena smiled,"Most people do. It's like a second home. Or, well..." She counted on her fingers; her parent's house, Bobby's house, her apartment..."Fourth home."

Serena watched him take in every inch of the room, making appreciative expressions as he tested some of the weights out. Serena smiled softly, tucking her legs underneath herself. She had noticed that he was more at ease with her, but decided against pointing it out in case he pouted and went back to giving her the cold shoulder. Her phone buzzed, a message from Sam, casually asking what France was like. She wondered why Sam hadn't decided to come with them, actually. The boy had always mentioned he'd live to visit one day.

Laurent made his way down the steps, smiling at them both as he stepped off the final step, his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Ah, a trip down memory lane?"

Serena snorted,"Something like that. It looks exactly the same."

"You can thank Sally for that. She was adamant that it was kept for you."

Then, Sally's voice called out,"Lunch is ready! Pie for dessert!"

Dean's green eyes widened in childish delight, his eyes snapping to Serena who lazily climbed off the couch, smirking in amusement.

"Go."

Dean took off running up the steps, much to Laurent's amusement.

"I take it he likes pie?"

"It's almost unhealthy."

* * *

After lunch, Sally decided some sight-seeing was in order. It was almost ten o'clock at night when they arrived at the hotel, thoroughly exhausted from activity-filled day. Dean was like a little kid on Christmas, especially after Laurent mentioned that they had to visit Disneyland for Serena.

Their hotel room only had one double bed, a fact Serena would bet that Bobby hadn't noticed when booking over the computer. That man barely knew how to turn a computer on, and Serena knew Sam had helped him. She smirked, sending off the strongly-worded text that Sam was bound to get any minute now.

Dean flopped down face-first onto the bed, making Serena roll her eyes. She had no problem sharing a bed with him, she had done it before, but with the tension between them lately, she was a little more reserved than usual.

She tapped the back of his leg,"You gonna get changed?"

"Sleepy."

"Jeans aren't very comfortable sleepwear, Dean."

"Hmm..."

She bent down to look at his face and met his tired eyes. She smiled,"Get changed. Come on."

Dean rolled onto his back and sat up, rubbing at his eyes. She handed him his suitcase and grabbed hers, rolling it into the bathroom so she could get changed for bed too.

Dean had just pulled on his sweatpants when she emerged. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, her face void of make-up. She was dressed in a red tank top and grey shorts. She arranged her bedside table to her liking, setting her phone within reach and finally rose her gaze to him. A soft blush crept across her cheeks when she noticed his bare chest, and Dean pretended not to notice, turning towards his own bedside table and smirking as he sat on the edge of the bed.

He put his phone down and pulled open the top drawer, grinning as he checked his gun for ammunition before slipping it into the desk. He heard Serena scoff, and turned to give her a pointed look.

"What?"

"Where are they?"

"Where are what?"

Dean licked his lips,"Your daggers."

Serena gave him an innocent look,"Under the pillow. Oh, shut up."

The bed dipped slightly when she climbed in, tugging the blankets up to her chest and snuggling down. Dean chuckled, climbing in beside her and staring at her. She squinted at him, sighed, and moved onto her back, reaching over to switch off her lamp and plunge the room into darkness.


End file.
